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SAN JUAN STREET

by Shawn Nelson

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1.
NOBODY GOT A HOLD ON ME I can head for the mountain or sail out to sea Or hang out here in the hill country If you dance with the devil he’ll dance right back Ol’ Doc Dupuy told me that Chorus But nobody got a hold on me Nobody got a hold on me Gonna get what I need eventually Nobody got a hold on me It’s a crying shame what we gotta do In the land of plenty for the few But we got guns and rock n roll Honky-Tonks and Muscle Shoals There was once was a time when we could survive With crops in the field and homemade wine It’s a wicked world we’re living in Fighting these wars over and over again
2.
MORE THAN CALIFORNIA Say good-bye to LA for me I don’t have the time to care ‘Cause I know she’s down in Austin Who knows how long she’ll be there Chorus I need her more than California Needs the bright lights of LA She’s the dream I should be chasing I can’t let her get away I need her more than California Ever needed me to stay Had to try my luck out west Had to see how far I could go The further I got from her and Texas The closer I got to coming home I said I’d be there by tomorrow If you’d give us one more shot I may not have much to offer But I’ll give you all I’ve got Say good-bye to LA for me I don’t have the time to care
3.
DREAMS IN THE DESERT There are dreams in the desert Hope on the highway, a rough rocky road ahead Promise in passion, faith in the fallen Religion for when you are dead Chorus You pray, you dream, you beg, you plead But it don’t change a thing You want, you need, you give,, you bleed But it don’t come so easy It’s the same ol’ story There are feelings of failure and down-right depression Choices and chances to take Wisdom in winning, lonely in losing And fortune that can fall either way
4.
Hit The Road 04:32
HIT THE ROAD I left home when I was grown When I could cross the bayous on my own Spent some time living crazy A little too lazy for a man So I ended up down in New Orleans With a pretty Creole woman I called Rose But Rose she says we can’t stay round here Let’s have another beer and hit the road Let’s hit the road 61 can take us out of New Orleans Be in Memphis in the morning if we drove But Rose and me we ain’t got much money Or a car that can make it to Tennessee The TV’s talking but I can’t hear it Bet they’re saying hell’s a coming for us all And Rose she says I can’t make it without my Momma Can’t be leaving here without her all alone Let’s hit the road Still remember walking through New Orleans With my pretty Creole woman by my side But if I smell me a blooming sweet Magnolia I’ll pretend I don’t know ya and start to cry ‘Cause Rose and me we never ever found her Momma Guess the Good Lord came and got her before we could And as I boarded the last bus to Houston Left Rose there refusing to go So I hit the road Hit the road Cross the bayou On my own now, all alone, heading home Hit the road, hit the road, hit the road And as I boarded the last bus to Houston Left Rose there refusing to go
5.
Anna Lee 05:27
ANNA LEE It’s a cold grey morning and I can’t ignore it, I’m blue as I’ve ever been I’m laying here lonely thinking if only I wouldn’t have done what I did We had us a home on a slow rolling bayou living and loving so fine She told me to hold her and always adore her and she would never leave my side Chorus Oh Anna Lee, baby come back to me Oh Anna Lee, baby forgive me Oh my sweet Anna Lee All I can hear in my head is the fear in her voice when she called out to me I woke up in water and grabbed our two daughters and told them all to hang on to me ‘Cause the water was rising and rising and rising through the attic and onto the roof We swam to the street light together we held tight wasn’t nothing else we could do I thought that forever that we’d be together but that was just never to be She cried for her maker to please come and take her but all she had was me She started screaming and cussing the demon that rained down upon us that day I tried to hang on but I’m just not that strong, my sweet Anna Lee was washed away
6.
IN THE AFTERNOON Honky-Tonkin’ in the afternoon Daydreaming ‘neath a neon moon There ain’t nothing to loving you Ain’t it cool, in the afternoon. Ain’t it cool, in the afternoon The jukebox plays all them country songs Right or wrong, you’re gonna sing along I dance with you, the sun shines through And it’s cool, in the afternoon Ain’t it cool, in the afternoon There must be something No there’s nothing I wanna do without you Baby it’s cool Ain’t it cool, in the afternoon Ain’t it cool, in the afternoon In the afternoon
7.
I Can't Hide 04:23
I CAN'T HIDE My head is heavy and I’m beyond blue Going crazy can’t stop thinking about you all the time Must be losing my mind ‘Cause I can’t run and I can’t hide from you I held you close, but you slipped away And if I could I would fade away, but I keep on moving Before I ruin everything ‘Cause I can’t run and I can’t hide from you So drink ‘em down yea now one more round Drive me out of this whiskey town, the skies are blue Ain’t nothing more I can do ‘Cause I can’t run and I can’t hide from you Can’t run from you, I can’t hide Can’t run from you, I can’t hide Can’t run from you I can’t hide, I can’t run I can’t hide, I can’t run Can’t run from you Can’t run from you I can’t hide
8.
Down Here 04:06
DOWN HERE Up in the morning down on my luck Well the money in my pocket, well it’s just ain’t enough To take you out dancing and buy you pretty things Had to hustle baby just to get you a ring Chorus Down here Down here Yea down here I got a shotgun don’t need the police ‘Cause I’ll shoot you down if you point that piece at me From Ft Worth to Houston live and die by the gun Won’t you come and take it son ain’t that how it’s done Singing songs of freedom in honky-tonks and bars Sometimes I can feel ‘em sometimes I fall apart But barley breaking even and just getting by Get me gas in the van and little to get high
9.
Mercy 04:10
MERCY Give you all I got, it’s not enough for you The tears they don’t drop ‘cause they’re tired and blue And broken over you I’m down on my knees Mercy Now I’m just a man at the end of his line I do what I can but it’s just not my time Won’t you show me a sign I’m down on my knees Mercy There’s a monkey on my back but he ain’t the one To blame for what I lack or for all that’s left undone Yea there’s nowhere left to run I’m down on my knees Mercy There’s a better road I know not the same ol’ highway But I have been told that there’s a brighter day Won’t you show me the way I’m down on my knees Mercy I’m down on my knees Mercy, Mercy Mercy, Mercy
10.
There's Time 04:36
THERE'S TIME A man in a mirror, a soul made of stone Callused and cratered, battered and worn Dirt on your elbow, you finger your food Out here a drift with the stars and the moon But there’s time, oh it’s time A pistol on a table, a book made of dreams A heart with no halo and salvation seems To pass you on by like you’re not really here Watching and waiting for it to appear But there’s time, oh it’s time Chorus There’s time to keep moving, time to carry on Time to keep living and time for a song There’s time, oh it’s time A beer in a bottle, a boy and girl A slow action throttle, a fast moving world Holding and hoping for something to come Lonely ain’t nothing but a loaded gun But there’s time, oh it’s time
11.
Hollow Moon 04:38
HOLLOW MOON Hollow Moon up above me Serpents shifting down below Spin in circles forever Round and round the cosmos Some say the sun’s got a sister Some say she will return And bring the Annunaki with her From the heavens to the earth From the heavens to the earth Cut up cattle and bended crops Pyramids and carved rocks Tell a story we forgot About the Chariots of Gods Oh believe it or not When I’m up top the mountain Or down in the valley below Keep the spirit close to me Baby never to let go Filling my body and soul Chorus Round the cosmosOh round and round we go Cosmos, oh round and round we go Cosmos, oh round and round we go Round and round the cosmos Oh round and round the cosmos Galactic hearts and dark rifts Ancient calendars predict The fiery dragon spits A shift in consciousness Cosmos, Cosmos, Cosmos Round and round the cosmos Oh round and round the cosmos
12.
Babylon 04:32
BABYLON There were towers of sin For the children of men Who all spoke the same But when the tongues did change With the winds of no name Swept it all away Chorus It’s a hard day in Babylon It’s a hard day indeed In the land between two rivers long It’s hard day indeed There were idols of love And gardens that hung From behind the gilded gates But they were covered in blood When they danced and they sung In the mighty Persian reign Babylon, you've bled for far too long Dead and gone in Babylon Now the tyrants of old Who long for the gold That lies beneath the land And so here they come With their banks and their guns And an oil company man
13.
Daydreamers 04:04
DAYDREAMERS Come with me Take my hand Cross the sea to another land Cool breeze come Blowing on through There is no end to me and you Chorus Daydreamers, peaceful people Don’t take your dreams away No, not today Not today, not today Dreadlock Rasta God and Allah Makes no difference you see ‘Cause we are one ‘Neath the stars above And everyone’s out looking for love
14.
SAN JUAN STREET The sun still shines on San Juan Street The wind still blows through the trees November rains come and go Your spirit it still remains Your spirit it still remains I close my eyes and see your face Smiling back at me I think you’re there and hope you’re here All around this place All around this place Chorus Self medicate myself into a haze But that don’t bring back them damned ol’ good ol’ days Them good ol’ days Them good ol’ days We said goodbye you touched the sky I watched you fade away My heart is heart and full of pain Since you went away Since you went away Wet and cold, hot and dry Seasons still pass on by You’re in my head and on my breath Can’t get you off my mind Can’t get you off my mind Them good ol’ days Them good ol’ days Them good ol’ days

about

SAN JUAN STREET, by Austin’s Shawn Nelson, captures expertly Nelson’s best: his rich, round, reedy vocals; listenable lyrics; and master-level multi-instrumental skill.

SAN JUAN STREET, which was recorded at Guzman Fox Studios in Austin, produced and engineered by Joel Guzman, mixed by Bradley Kopp, and mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering in Boulder, Colo., has something for every music lover — from the South of the Border-flavored title track, featuring Mexican horn and mandolin and beat; the haunting “Down Here,” with its rock ’n’ roll-driven guitar and fiddle; and “Hit the Road,” a pure-D, long-voweled country love song with the smart lyrical twists and turns found in most of Nelson’s originals.

Nelson — who counts electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, trombone, and coronet among the instruments he plays on the new album — has toured extensively, especially across Texas. His first three albums, SHAWN NELSON AND THE RAMBLERS (November 2004), LIVE FROM ANTONE’S (November 2005) and AIN’T NO EASY WAY (March 2009), yielded songs that have evolved into favorites for fans and band.

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From THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE:

"He's been bouncing around Austin since at least 2003. Still, no one would have picked Shawn Nelson to make one of this year's best country albums. San Juan Street finds the local working with some of the most sympathetic players he's ever had the pleasure of collaborating with while also demonstrating above-average writing skills. Produced by accordion master Joel Guzman and featuring guitarist Matt Slusher and bassist Will Dupuy (formerly of South Austin Jug Band), plus Ephraim Owens on trumpet and Trisha Keefer on fiddle, Nelson mixes and matches styles flawlessly."

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From TWANGVILLE:

"The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shawn Nelson. What do they have in common? Anthems about being a free spirit. You undoubtedly know about Ramblin’ Man and Free Bird. In the case of Shawn Nelson, it’s Nobody Got A Hold On Me, the first track on his 4th release, San Juan Street. Stylistically the song is kind of a mash-up of Ryan Bingham and Old Crow Medicine Show. But it also has some southern rock roots. And it’s a good harbinger of the material to come on the album."

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credits

released October 25, 2011

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Produced and Engineered by Joel Guzman
Recorded at Guzman Fox Studio (Austin, TX)
Mixed by Bradley Kopp
Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering
All Songs Written By Shawn Nelson
© Fonky Tonk Music (BMI) All Rights Reserved

SHAWN NELSON - Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Harmonica, Percussion, Cornet and Trombone
MATT SLUSHER- Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Harmony Vocals
FLETCHER MURCHISON - Electric Mandolin
SCOTT MARTIN- Electric and Steel Guitar
WILL DUPUY - Bass
BOBBY PERKINS - Bass and Percussion
PATRICK HERZFELD- Drums and Percussion
TRISHA KEEFER - Fiddle
JOEL GUZMAN - Accordion, Piano, Organ, Percussion and Harmony Vocals
EPHRAIM OWENS - Trumpet
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about

Shawn Nelson Austin

Shawn Nelson is a songwriter, musician and singer based in Austin who has been performing and making records for over a decade. The Austin Chronicle named his 2011's San Juan Street "one of the best country albums of the year."
Shawn and the group of string band pickers have recorded a live studio album slated to be released in the Fall of 2016 marking Shawn's 9th independent release.
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