(Lyrics included at bottom) My 4th CD, July Snow, is a testament to the land, its creator and how it shapes us. The subtitle is "mesas, prairies, wheat, and backroads", which places all the action out west. I was raised on a ranch in South Dakota and lived all my life either there, in Oklahoma or in New Mexico, and those landscapes are the bedrock I have used to build these songs. It all started with a photo of an old, isolated stone and adobe farmhouse. Whoever lived there had taken dabs of adobe mud and painted a trim around one of the rooms. Simple, plain, beautiful. I wondered about who did it, and why? Boredom? A need to add something? A frustrated artist? That art became the album cover in my mind even before a note was recorded. I hope this album does her, or him justice. During church the next day, the preacher quoted a scripture from Psalms 85, "...truth shall spring out of the earth... and the land shall yield its harvest". That settled it. I was going to do an album of songs about the LAND. The songs "And The Wind", "Big Lake, Texas", "Red Sky In The Morning", "I Know Where Nowhere Is", "Mighty Mo", and "Mighty Fine Day" have taken scenes that I have seen and lived over and over, and tried to make the listener feel the same. "Just Blew Into Clovis" and "New Road" are late-night driving songs, which come in handy considering the distances we travel out here. "Up On The Mesa" and "See The Wonder" are based on scriptures from Isaiah and Matthew, respectfully. The title song is about dreaming and doing- they can happen at the same time. Just look at the painted trim in that old house. The other songs tell the story of the people who live here. The wheat part came about when I noticed that it was mentioned in three of the songs. Must be important. I've always thought one definition of a good song is that it will fill your mind with images that remain. That said, these are good songs. Thank you for listening. I probably should have dedicated it to "drifters, dreamers, farmers, and other fools". That may be for the next album. You can contact me at RogerDale1@aol.com Thank you and God Bless Album: July Snow, by Roger Dale ljd3377 lazy jd records. All ©2012 handyman roger music (ASCAP) vocal, drums, percussion, accoustic guitar, harmonica, bass, harmony: Roger Dale telecaster, mandolin: Randy Jones harmony, fiddle: Renee Parsons harmony: Carl Parsons blues harp on Mighty Mo: Angus Siren mastered by Dick Orr at John Wagner Studios, Albuquerque, NM The Songs : 1. There's Work Today (2:56) 2. July Snow (3:47) 3. I Know Where Nowhere Is (3:08) 4. See The Wonder (4:11) 5. Up On The Mesa (3:58) 6. Red Sky In The Morning (3:20) 7. Just Blew Into Clovis (3:47) 8. Mighty Fine Day (2:06) 9. Going Somewhere Better (3:59) 10. Except For You (3:42) 11. And The Wind (3:19) 12. New Road (1:35) 13. Big Lake, Texas (3:08) 14. Next Year Here To Stay (3:02) 15. Mighty Mo (3:53) Song lyrics to Roger Dale's CD "July Snow" on Lazy JD Records, ljd3377. All songs were written by Roger Dale, except track 14 by Roger Dale and Jim Coble. All are©2012 HandyMan Roger Music.(ASCAP) Track 1: There’s Work Today, We’ll Eat Tonight The dustbowl blew our soil away The Bank it closed with all we’d saved. Sold our plow, bought some fuel. Headed west where there was work to do There’s work to-day, we’ll eat to-night Didn’t I say every-thing will be all right In the fields by the morning’s light There’s work today, we’ll eat tonight. We hoed the corn, we picked the fruit. No work is too low for us to stoop. My back is willing, got two strong hands. Work until we make it to the promised land. See the birds the Lord has fed But He had no where to lay his head. I know he’s watching over us All we need is hope, and faith, and trust. Track 2: July Snow Times are getting rough for us dreamers. Not much need for fools like me That speak in verse and rhyme A wiser man might of quit, a long, long time ago. But he has never seen…. July Snow. So I took a turn to try to earn by working. Be the chosen few that know the use of the tools of the trade. For a forty hour check, they expect to get your soul. They don’t have much use for… July Snow. Summer freeze is not seen here all that often. Few are blessed with such a rare and precious sight. But when you do you see the possibilities. That might ease a worried mind that’s awake way past midnight. There’s a power that plans all the seasons. Who’s to say the give and take of The rhythm of the land. Looking for a sign that I’ve chosen the right road. Hoping soon to find… July Snow. Track 3: I Know Where Nowhere Is The day dawns dirty down this dingy street. I punch the snooze button, praying for some more sleep. I slip off the sheets, my feet hit the floor. Half hour, I'm showered and headed out the door. There's nowhere I'd rather be, there's nowhere I'd rather be... I know where nowhere is. It's a mile or two past where the dirt road ends. Where their world stops and mine begins, I know, I know where I know where nowhere is. I know where nowhere is. With a starched, stiff shirt I march into work, My coffee's kind of cold, but it keeps me alert. A beautiful cubicle is where I'll stay But I'm hoping a promotion is coming my way, There's nowhere I'd rather be, there's nowhere I'd rather be... Now my lying life is not like I'd like it to be. I pretend to begin the American dream. But there's a mountain I'm counting on always there, Be making my mark in the morning air, There's nowhere I'd rather be, there's nowhere I'd rather be... Track 4: See The Wonder, See The Joy Caterpillar in a glass jar... Blades of grass and a twig. Put it on the shelf in the school yard... Poke a few holes in the lid. The children watch in silence at the silk bed that it’s made. Then they forget all about it... until one day. See the wonder, see the joy That the Lord has brought forth. A new life right in front of your eyes. (He said) Let the children come to me The greatest in heaven will be The one who sees the world... like a child. Rain cloud about sunset... Fading off to the east. All the trees just got wet... but it took away most of the heat. Then in a golden moment, a rainbow appears. Then shines through the sky and... the air’s so fresh and clear. And the children love the Father... and the Father loves the child. And the children gather ‘round him... and the children make him smile You get up early in the morning... while the rooms are still dark. Stretch out, maybe yawn then... and fire up the coffee pot. Take a quiet moment and say your morning prayers. And you know the Lord is with you and you’re glad that he’s there. Repeat Chorus and End Track 5: Up On The Mesa I need to take a small vacation… Put my feet where the ancients trod, Spend some time there with my maker. Share a song and have a talk Shift ends early Friday evening… lace my boots and grab my pack. Aim my truck across the desert… blacktop, gravel, then two dirt tracks. Guess I’ll go up on the mesa. To the house of Jacob’s God. Truth is known up on the mesa. Be shown the paths that we must walk. Climb up steep through the green valleys… to a canyon carved from stone. Until the juniper surrounds me. Eagle rides the breeze alone. Build a fire from pinyon branches… crackling heat and whispy smoke. Stars appear without the answers. Coyote laughs at his own jokes. Bird song sings me to morning… wind is filled with daylight prayer. Long light shines through the dawning. Good enough reason to be there. Thoughtful words are softly whispered… thankful praise for the dawn. Coffee and silence never better This must be where I belong. Track 6: Red Sky In The Morning Red Sky in the morning Red Sky in the morning Might mean a warning of a storm coming on. Blue Moon at midnight Blue Moon at midnight. Truth may not seem right. But it’s rarely wrong. And the skies... show their color. And the lies... we tell each other. Keeps our secrets deep inside, Wish that we'd be as honest as the sky Gray clouds will gather Gray clouds will gather. Can’t say whether it will Rain or snow. Track 7: Just Blew In From Clovis The dust like a ghost was weaving across this lonely two-lane road. Piled up against a barbed wire fence was tumble weeds that ceased to roll. I was tired of staring through my windshield And listening to the cold wind moan. I was tired of living with a memory That won’t leave me alone. Theres miles and miles behind me And there will soon be many more. I just blew in from Clovis and I got a long ways to go. I just blew in from Clovis and I got a long ways to go. (She was a) heaven sent angel when God let her set me free. And everyday all she gave wasn’t good e-nough for me. She was working two jobs waiting tables And holding down the fort at home. But I wasn’t ready yet for settling down. I was in my truck and gone. I hear she’s down in New Mexico Married with a couple of kids. She’s got a good man that loves her so Doing like I never did. And she’s happy, I hear she’s happy. I’ve got a load that needs to be in Tennessee before tomorrow night.some rest, but it’s probably best to keep this rig between the lines. There’s nights my mind starts wondering Thinking about those long gone days All the could’a’s and the should’a’s start adding up I need And I keep running away. Track 8: Mighty Fine Day Its a mighty fine sunset hanging in the sky this evening. Strolling along through the last light of the day. Purple and pinks and reds and blues, Neighbors saying, “How do you do...?” Its a mighty fine day to end in a pefect way. Its a mighty fine life I find that I am leading. Lend my voice, help the last of the robins sing. With a skip-a-dee-do and a tweet tweet tweet. Leaves are swishing beneath my feet. Its a mighty fine day and I’m in love with everything. And the trees they are a changing, and its freezing some at night. The seasons rearranging, and the geese keep flying by. And the years they come and go, like they’ve come and gone before. But every year it appears I appreciate it more. Its mighty fine scent that fills the air I’m breathing. Its a little bitty chill I feel deep in my bones. Better zip my zipper underneath my chin. Wishing for mittens to stick my hands in. Its a mighty fine day to be winding my way back home. Track 9: Going Someplace Better A dime a day... thats what the sawmill pays. But there was nothing else left standing after the Civil War. There’s land they say.... they’re just giving it away. On the Dakota plains out west What are we waiting for? When you’re going somewhere better Somewhere down the road You’ll give up all you’ve got, all you’ve had and all you’ve known. When you’re going somewhere better You give up all you own. When you’re going somewhere better You ain’t afraid to go. The dirt here’s deep... And it grows the wheat They say you just plant your seeds And then you can just watch them grow. So we broke the sod... With the grace of God The rains came down on the sweet smelling earth And we reaped what we'd sowed. There's dust, there's mud...There's sweat, there's blood, There's those that quit, and those that wish they could. But my roots runs deep... and in my hour of need. I look to the man upstairs and say, Lord, please tell me that it is good. Track 10: Except For You I bought these boots about ten years ago. And I guess I’ve worn them every day since. They’re kind of scuffed and they’re getting old. And it don’t seem right if I’m not wearing them. And I bought my hat at a county fair. Somewhere down in New Mexico. And it’s bent just right and it fits my head. I wear just about everywhere I go. All the favorite things that I call mine. (Seem to be) those I’ve had for a long long time. A just reward for the life I lead. I’ve got every thing I need. Except for you, babe... Except for you... (Repeat) This pocket knife was my Grand-dad’s. He said he won it in a poker game. And the blades stay sharp and the handles stag. They don’t make them like this now-a-days. I got this guitar on the Kansas plains. When I was out there harvesting wheat. It’s helped me through some lonely days. It plays real nice and sounds so sweet. Track 11: And The Wind And the wind… It is a stranger. Not from here, not from these parts. Always seems to keep its distance. Until it's time for it to start. And the wind… It is a bully. Pushing me all the time. First it’s one way, then the other. Like it can’t quite make up its mind. But now, it makes me weary. But now, it makes me weak. Sometimes, it ,makes me angry. Steals my dreams, hard to speak. And the wind… It is a singer. Who only knows one song. A lonely one that tells of leaving. And it sings it all night long. And the wind… It is a farmer. Spreading seeds across the plains. Tumble weeds that keep rolling. Fill with dust, until it rains. And the wind… is filled with power. Makes the trees weave and wave. Takes a ship across the ocean. Brings it back, by the same way. And the wind… Is my companion. Touching me through all I’ve done. I’ll face and fight it when I need to. But there’s times it helps me run. Track 12: New Road There’s a new light shining through my window. A new dawn breaking for me. Passing through sights that I’ve never seen before. A new road waiting for me. It’s a highway that I’ve never traveled. Finally chasing that dream. I know the Lord is leading me down a New road I’ve never seen. And I don’t know where I’m going to Don’t know what I will find. The past is something we’ve been through. Just remember it, then leave it behind. I can’t wait until tomorrow Just see what I can see. I know it can be a big wide world. There’s a new road waiting for me. Track 13: Big Lake, Texas You won’t see ... too much in Big Lake, Texas. Just mesquite... and cactus, tumbleweeds and sand. The horizon runs forever in Big Lake, Texas. And the pumpjacks chase that oil out from underneath the land. Right here ... I was born in Big Lake, Texas. I’ve seen... the boom times, and then what’s left behind. I seen people leave all thats good in Big Lake, Texas. Going off to somewhere, Lord knows what they hope to find. They still serve coffee down at Grandma’s Kitchen And they still go to Sunday School. And the wind might blow tomorrow But we hope today stays cool. Well, it rained... last week in Big Lake, Texas. And it ain’t... fallen here in a hundred fifty days. The grass turned green last week in Big Lake, Texas. I believe that water washed my troubles away. I believe that water washed my troubles away. Track 14: Next Year Here to stay words by Roger Dale and Jim Coble, music by Roger Dale Over an inch of rain fell last night. The grass is growing tall and green. The cows are slicked off and the calves are fat. This might be the best year we’ve ever seen. I believe we might make it. The sun is shining bright today. After all the hard times we’ve been through. Next year’s here to stay. Water is flowing down Medicine Creek. It’s been two years since it’s been dry. That shower last night might have made our wheat. And the bushel price is getting high. Our neighbor, Jim, sold his herd last fall. Said he was old and getting out. He said if we needed anything, just give him a call He'd come on by and help us out. Bonus Track: Mighty Mo It’s born way up in the Montana mountains Then it cuts through the golden plains. The maps might mark it as the Missouri But its earned itself another name. If a lot of rain fell, you get a snow melt, the river begins to roll… That’s when the people that live up here Start calling it the MIGHTY MO’. MIGHTY MO’… getting ugly MIGHTY MO’… turning mean. MIGHTY MO’… flows over its banks.. Makes the biggest mess you’ve ever seen. Ba-dup, Ba-dough. The last time it flooded, I’ve been told, Was nineteen fifty two. Then some bright boys rubbed their pointed heads together, Got a bulldozer and a slide rule. They blasted and they dug, they pushed and they shoved, They built themselves a new dam. Said this town won’t get covered up again. But MIGHTY MO’ had another plan. In the summer you swim in that cool water, Get a boat and learn how to ski. Chop a hole in the ice, go fishing in the winter, Take a walk among the cottonwood trees. You can plant, you can build, put a crop in the fields, Pop a top and have a good time. MIGHTY MO’ says you do what you want, But that river bottom is mine!