The Outsiders
Released February 11, 2014 EMI Records Nashville
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The Outsiders
They’re the in-crowd, we’re the other ones
It’s a different kind of cloth that we’re cut from
We let our colors show where the numbers ain’t
We’re the paint where there ain’t supposed to be paint
That’s who we are
That’s how we roll
The outsiders
The outsiders
Our women get hot and our leather gets stained
When we saddle up and ride ‘em in the pouring rain
We’re the junkyard dogs, we’re the alley cats
Keep the wind at our fronts and the hell at our backs
That’s who we are
We do our talkin’, walk that walk, wide-open rockin’
That’s how we roll
Back to the wall, a band of brothers, together alone
The outsiders, we’re the riders
We’re the ones burning rubber off our tires
Yeah, we’re the fighters, the all nighters
So, fire ‘em up and get a little higher
We’re the bad news, we’re the young guns
We’re the ones that they told you to run from
Yeah, the player’s gonna play and a haters gonna hate
And a regulator’s born to regulate
When it hits the fan and it all goes down
And the gloves come off, you’re gonna find out just
Who we are
We do our talkin’, walk that walk, wide-open rockin’
That’s how we roll
Back to the wall, a band of brothers, together alone
The outsiders, we’re the riders
We’re the ones burning rubber off our tires
Yeah, we’re the fighters, the all nighters
So, fire ‘em up and get a little higher
The outsiders
The outsiders
You’re gonna know who we are
The outsiders
That’s who we are -
A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young
I like fast cars and sharp dreams
Chased a lot of crazy things
Left behind my share of broken pieces
This morning I turned 36 and when you just remember half of it
You wonder how you outlived Hank or Jesus
Chorus:
I put the rage in the river and the roll in the thunder
But you kept me from going under
When that current got too heavy
I always thought I’d be a heap of metal
In a cloud of smoke, foot stuck to the pedal
Sold for parts like a junkyard rusted out Chevy
Fear, I’ve had none, what the hell made you wanna love
A man who was gonna die young
In the mirror, I saw my surprise
Who knew gray hairs liked to hide
On a head that didn’t think he’d live past thirty
If I make it thirty more, it’s the brown that you’ll be looking for
As you run your fingers through it and say, slow down honey
Repeat Chorus
Call it intuition or call it crazy
Just thought by now I’d be pushing up daisies
But I’ll gladly stick around if we’re together
So baby, when you bow your head tonight
Could you tell the Lord I’ve changed my mind
And with you, I’d like to live forever -
Cold One
It was a perfect day for the end of May, they say a record high
I was staring at that green water when out of the blue and by surprise
She had her feet up on the cooler as she put our love on ice
She grabbed a beer, said I’m out of here
And walked out of my life
Chorus:
That was a cold one
I never will get back
If she had to leave
Did she have to leave me
One beer short of a twelve pack
She left me hangin' high and dry
In that hell hot summer sun
Damn babe, that was a cold one
Ain't the first time or the last time
I’ve watched love walk out
But it’s damn sure the one time
I still ain't forgot about
I still like to drink a beer but a long neck I won’t do
‘Cause every time I see one sweatin', man, I break out in one too
Repeat Chorus Twice
Damn babe, that was a cold one -
Roller Coaster Ride
Click clackin', my heart keeps makin' an ominous sound
That chain keeps draggin' me up just to drop me back down
Think I’m over the hump enough to see the other side
That’s when another thought of you runs through my mind
Chorus:
Since you had to go
I’ve been on a roller coaster ride
Up and down I go
Over you then ‘bout to lose my mind
It’s outta control, ‘round and ‘round
Upside down and down upside
Since you had to go
I’ve been on a roller coaster ride
A psychedelic trip, my stomach flips, again and again
I’d love to give my ticket back but I’m locked in
White-knuckled grip, hangin' on to what’s left of my life
Hate to think about the comin' down when I’m up this high
Repeat Chorus
Hang on
Repeat Chorus -
Talladega
It was the summer before the real world started
And the deal was we would get to go
If we cleaned it up and got it runnin’
Daddy’s old Winnebago
Wing and prayer down 65
Five best friends on four bald tires
I can still see Billy smilin’
When we finally made it…to
Chorus:
Talledega, boys raise the
Whiskey in your glass
Here’s to turn it up, slowin’ down
And cars that go real fast
We were laughin’ and livin’
Drinkin’ and wishin’
And thinkin’ as that checkered flag was wavin’
Sure would like to stay in
Talladega
Like a stone, time rolls on
You can’t hit pause
That’s just the deal
Most days in life don’t stand out
But life’s about those days that will
Like rockin’ Randall, gettin’ rowdy
Shootin’ roman candles
At the man in the moon ‘til the
Alabama sun was breaking…over
Repeat Chorus
When the winds grow cold and it blows October
I think about us shoulder to shoulder
Like those cars, my thoughts roll over and over and over
In my mind tonight
I’m in
Repeat Chorus
Talladega, Talladega
Talladega, Talladega -
Broke Record
Your lips, your hips
When you touch 'em to mine
Each and every time, I’m hypnotized, I’ll admit it
Your moves, your grooves
It’s some deadly stuff, I can’t get enough
Girl, your love’s a drug, I can’t quit it
Chorus:
I’m a broke record, a broke record
You got my heart, heart, skip, skip, skippin' a beat
Run the needle through, and hit, hit repeat
I’m a broke record, a broke record
You’re a song I gotta sing along with and then
When it gets to the end I gotta play it again and again
My friends are wearing thin
They’re tired of hearing your name, it ain't a healthy thing
This obsession that I’m living
So, baby, please rescue me
I ain’t never had nothing stuck in my head
Like this melody I keep hearing
Repeat Chorus
Like a yo-yo-yo-yo-yo-yo, babe
That’s what I feel like, up and down, driving me crazy
You keep yank, yank, yanking my string, string, baby
Baby, don’t stop, don’t stop
Repeat Chorus
Again and again and again and again, yeah
And again and again -
Like a Wrecking Ball
I’ve, I’ve been gone, I’ve been gone too long
Singin' my songs on the road, another town
One more show then I’m comin' home
Don’t give a damn what these keys are for
I’m gonna knock down that front door
And
I’m gonna find out what that house is made of
Been too many nights since it’s felt us make love
I wanna rock some sheet rock
Knock some pictures off the wall
Love you baby like a wrecking ball
You, look at you, send me one more shot
Sittin' on the bathroom sink
Damn, you really turn me on
Painting your toenails pink
Easy baby for you to say
But if I can make it just one more day
That whole house is gonna be shakin'
I hope those bricks and boards can take it
But I won’t be surprised
If the whole damn place just falls
Wanna rock you baby like a wrecking ball
This ole house is gonna be shakin'
Rafter rockin', foundation quakin'
Crash right through the front door
Back you up against the wall
Love you baby
Take it right there baby
Rock you baby like a wrecking ball -
That's Damn Rock & Roll
It ain’t a needle in a vein, it ain’t backstage sex
It ain’t lines of cocaine on a private jet
It ain’t havin’ a posse full of hangers-on following you around
It ain’t long hair, tattoos, playin’ too loud, naw
It ain’t a middle finger on a tee shirt that the establishment’s trying to sell
It’s a guy with the balls, tellin’ the establishment to go to Hell
It ain’t about the money you make when a record gets sold
It’s about doin’ it for nothing because it lives in your soul
That’s damn rock and roll
That’s damn rock and roll
It’s a rock through a window, it’s a riot in the street
It’s a rebel revolution that’s fightin’ for peace
It’s burn-baby-burn, it’s a brick in the wall
It’s first one to stand and the last one to fall
It’s a hip shakin’ devil on a stage in Tupelo
It’s doin’ what you want, ‘stead of doin’ what you’re told
It’s a preacher burnin’ records, tellin’ folks they ought to pray
‘Cause the shepherd bought a Gibson and led the flock astray
That’s damn rock and roll
Give all you’ve got till there ain’t nothing left
That’s damn rock and roll
Yeah, when the Clash crashed the party and the party got loud
And the party turned into an angry crowd
Drowning demons feel no pain, found Nirvana wasted shame
Gone too soon just like a song
Hendrix, Joplin, what went wrong
Need some answers, right or wrong
Need something to blame it on
Blame it on, blame it on, blame it on, blame it on
Blame it on, blame it on, blame it on, blame it on
Blame it on, blame it on
That’s damn rock and roll
Give all you’ve got till there ain’t nothing left
That’s damn rock and roll
Woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo
Another day in another town
Load in the stage, and the lights, and the sound
Here they come boys, they opened doors
Count us off now Craig, one, two, three, four
That’s damn rock and roll
Give all you’ve got till there ain’t nothing left
That’s damn rock and roll
Every ounce of your blood and your sweat
That’s damn rock
That’s damn rock and roll
Rock and roll
That’s damn rock and roll
Rock and roll -
Dark Side
Over there in the shadow
Hangin’ out in the corner of my mind
Stringin’ up the gallow
Waitin’ on me to cross that line
That man’s dangerous as hell, a threat to himself
If he got out there’d be hell to pay
And that’s why my dark side don’t ever see the light of day
I slowed down on the whiskey
‘Cause there always came a point
When I’d have one too many
And tear down every wall in that joint
I’ve got a wife and got a son
That don’t know half the stuff I’ve done
And I pray that’s the way it stays
And that’s why my dark side don’t ever see the light of day
You can blame it on my rebel raisin’
Blame it on the south
You can blame it on the words
I try to keep here in my mouth
It takes a lot to start me up
But once that hammer drops
You don’t won’t to be the one
That tries to make me stop
All you thugs and ugly mugs
Dealing drugs and makin’ noise
You can kill each other all you want
But if you touch my little boy
You beggin’ for this bullet
Will be the last thing that you say
Before I let my dark side come out to play -
Devil Devil (Prelude: Princess of Darkness)
This town, she is a temptress
A siren with gold eyes
She'll cut you with her kindness
Then she will bleed you with her lies
She's been called a glistening devil
And she's good at keeping score
If you make it, she's your savior
If you don't, she's a whore
The roads to and from her heart are littered with creative souls
They gave all their all
And all they got in return was empty holes
Sure, we've all heard about Shel and Kris and Willie and the Bobby Bares
She's smiled on the Johnny's, the Merle's and the many Music Row millionaires
Like a beacon, she goes seeking seed
For her loins so fertile
To a free man, she's a prison
To a caged one, she's a file
She's the reason there's a “Sunday Morning Coming Down”
“I Saw The Light”, “Boy Named Sue”
“He Stopped Loving Her Today”
“The Pill” and “16th Avenue”
The Ryman, oh she's a diamond
In the crown of that wicked queen
She was Roy Acuff’s castle
And Elvis Presley's broken dream
It's not all bad, it's not all dark
It's not all gloom and crass
But to find gold in this silver mine
It does take balls of brass
Fore she's seen ‘em come, seen ‘em go
And came herself a time or two
But no matter how satisfied her screams sound
She always wants someone new
The next him or them or her or all
With stamina to last the night
To be a star in this lady's town
You can f*#k or you can fight
You see, it all comes down to money
Not romantic art from days gone past
If you forget that rule, you can bet your backside
She will bury it in your ass
A tramp, a slut, a bitch, a mutt
A thousand pawnshop guitars
A nasty little needle
To a vein that feeds a singer’s heart
She lurks in friendly shadows
But she's a junkie with a limp
The agents are her bookie
And the labels are her pimp
I'll tell you a well known secret
In a tiny place known far and wide
The devil walks among us folks
And Nashville is his bride
Of all the chaos he has caused and done
His greatest trick is
To every guitar toting dreamer
The devil don't exist
But me, I've shook his hand,
And I know that he is real
So devil, you can go screw yourself
And then go straight to hell
Devil, devil, I feel you preying on my mind
Got nine things going wrong right now
And her leaving makes a dime
I’m mad as hell, and drunk, and well
Tonight, I guess we’ll see
If devil, devil, you’re bad enough to lock horns with me
Level, level, in search of solid ground
This swinging, swaying, side to side, is tossing me around
I got a hanker for an anchor to steady up my bow
Level, level, tie this rebel down
Crazy, crazy, calling out my name
I got one foot on the platform and the other’s on a train
Save me, save me, I know what’s in store
Crazy, crazy hell, I’ve been there before
Danger, danger, the way you’re looking there at me
Be careful what you wish for, you might get what you don’t need
I’m a brush fire on a drought land in a Santa Ana breeze
Danger, danger, don’t you play around with me
Crazy, crazy, calling out my name
I got one foot on the platform and the other’s on a train
Save me, save me, I know what’s in store
Crazy, crazy hell, I’ve been there before
Angel, angel, heavenly body in holy jeans
On second thought, get over here and wrap me in your wings
Throw caution to the wind and honey, give me what I need
Angel, angel, love this devil, devil, out of me
Devil, devil, devil
Oooooo, devil, devil
Oooooo, devil, devil
Oooooo, devil, devil -
Give Me Back My Hometown
Damn, I used to love this view
Sit here and drink a few
Main street and the high school lit up on Friday night
Down there it’s another touchdown
Man, this year’s team is stout
I can hear them goin’ crazy
And up here so am I
Thinkin’ about you, sittin’ here sayin’, I hate this, I hate it
If you couldn’t stand livin’ here, why’d you take it, take it
Give me back my hometown
‘Cause this is my hometown
All the colors of my youth
The red, the green, the hope, the truth
Are beatin’ me black and blue ‘cause you’re in every scene
My friends try to cheer me up, get together at the Pizza Hut
I didn’t have the heart to tell them that was our place
These sleepy streetlights on every sidewalk side street
Shed a light on everything that used to be
Give me back my hometown
‘Cause this is my hometown
Yeah, yeah, ooohh, yeah, yeah
You can have my grandma’s locket
The knife out of my grandpa’s pocket
Yeah, my state champion jacket
I don’t care, you can have it
Every made memory
Every picture, every broken dream
Yeah, everything, everything, everything
Give me back my hometown
‘Cause this is my hometown
Yeah, yeah, ooohh, yeah, yeah -
The Joint
The only joint my momma burned was on the rural route
She parked in old man Taylor’s woods so she wouldn’t be found out
Turned off her dome light and snuck off by herself
Crouched down beneath that window, fired it up and gave it hell
Chorus:
That hangout my daddy used to hang around
We watched it all go up in smoke until it all came down
Just like that, the taps and stools and the tables got turned
To the only joint my momma ever burned, burned
Just like someone flipped a switch, dad started coming home
No more eating late cold suppers with that tavern gone
I had my suspicions till one night when we said Grace
Dad said, forgive us our transgressions, that smile lit up momma’s face
Like
Repeat Chorus
Of all the small town Barney Fifes
And bloodhounds in this town
I’m the only one that ever found out about
Repeat Chorus
Produced by Jay Joyce
Executive Producer – Arturo Buenahora, Jr.
Recorded by Jason Hall at St. Charles (Nashville, TN) Assisted by Matthew Wheeler
Additional Recording by Jay Joyce
Mixed by Jay Joyce at St. Charles (Nashville, TN) Assisted by Matthew Wheeler
Production Assistance by Scott Johnson
Mastered by Andrew Mendelson at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, TN)
Musicians:
Eric Church – Electric and Acoustic Guitar
Craig Wright – Drums and Percussion, Background Vocals
Lee Hendricks – Bass, Baritone Guitar, Percussion, Background Vocals
Jay Joyce – Baritone, Electric Guitar, Hammond C-3, Piano, Pump Organ, Drums, Percussion, Bass, White Noise Generator, Sound Effects, Omnichord, Wurlitzer, Synth Mando, Background Vocals
Jeff Hyde – Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Background Vocals
Bryan Sutton – Acoustic, 12-String Acoustic Guitar, Octave-Mandolin, Mandolin, Bass-Banjo, Slide Dobro, Dobro, Piano, Bouzouki, Percussion
J.T. Corenflos – Electric Guitar
Barry Green, Roy Agee – Trombone
Jason Sellers, Joanna Cotton, Matthew Wheeler, Jason Hall – Background Vocals
Bryan Sutton appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records, a Welk Music Group company
Management: John Peets, Q Prime South, Inc. Nashville, TN
Art Direction & Design: Karen Naff
Photography: John Peets
Thank you: First of all I'm so thankful for the gift of music. It is a spiritual and Divine blessing that I treat with the respect it deserves from Whom it was bestowed. My wife Katherine, I love and live for you. To Boone, you've changed my life and given it joy and purpose I never knew existed. I love you son. Jay Joyce, I enjoy our relationship more with every record. We never settle. Thank you for being you. John Peets, what a journey, if I had a dime for every time we got each other in trouble we would be on a beach by now. Thank you for your guidance, counsel, and fellowship. I look forward to the next chapter. Arthur Buenahora, well, you got us into this, I can't express enough the trust and belief I have in you. It's a special thing we have. To the Q Prime team - Randi Seplow, Fielding Logan, June Simon and Angela Lange - an engine is only as good as its parts. We have the best parts and the fastest ride out there. I thank you guys. Ebie McFarland, I know I say no to everyone and everything, very thankful you said yes to me. Thanks for all you do. Jay Williams and William Morris, Jamie Cheek and FBMM, Louie Messina and TMG, Mike Dungan, Tom Becci, Royce Risser, Cindy Mabe and everyone at UMG, and especially my EMI promotion team, thank you for doing all the stuff no one sees you do. I know you do it, and I'm grateful. To Debra Williams and Katy Robbins, I appreciate what you do. Peter Zavadil thank you for getting what we do and capturing it! Finally, to my other family. Marshall Alexander, I would literally be lost without you. I thank and love you. Todd Bunch, where do the years go? Thank you for building a culture that is second to none and always being willing to go the extra mile. To the crew, you work the hardest and love it the most. It's inspiring. I got your back always. To my brothers in music – Jeff Cease, Lee Hendricks, Jeff Hyde, Driver Williams, & Craig Wright - I'd do anything for you and go anywhere with you. I love you. To the fans, our choir, our fellow outsiders, you’re the tip of the sword. You are where this all starts and ends, and I thank you the most. Tell the world we are coming! -Chief
Eric Church and the ECB would like to thank:
Edge Apparel, Hellcat, All Access Coach Leasing, Gibson Guitars & Basses, Stage Call Corporation, Elixir Strings, Christie Lights, Mason Sound, Ultimate Ears, Steve Clayton Picks, Deering Banjos, Fishman Electronics, SJC Custom Drums, Blame Fuel Creative, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Aquarian Drumheads, Legacy Percussion, Ampeg Bass Amps, EMG, Klein Pickups, David Allen Pickups, Xpress Instruments, Dean Markley Strings, Reinhardt Amplification, PRS Guitars, Krank Amplification, Ernie Ball Strings, Red Monkey Design Guitar Straps, Heil Sound, Wornstar Clothing, RippRacks, Keyser Finger Picks, Strictly FX, Triggs Acoustic Guitars, Lucchese Boots and Jack Daniel’s.