MULLIGAN Terry Edwards Do-It-Yourself Online CD Insert Hi Folks, Since the budget wouldn’t allow us to spring for a CD Insert so you could get out a magnifying glass and squint to read all the information about the songs and the lyrics, I thought it might be fun to post all this on the website so you could actually read it. And if inserts are real important to you, you can print all this out and put it in a copier and reduce it down and fold it up and cram it in the CD jacket so you’ll have it with you at all times for reference. So here we go. Some thank- you’s and credits followed by information and lyrics for each song. First of all, thanks to Rick Hubbard for believing I still have something in the tank and getting this project off the ground and promoting it. Thanks to my wife Annie and to my family for their love and support and for their musical and vocal talents. Thanks to Patrick Crouch for his production and engineering genius, for his incredible musical talent and most of all for his caring deeply about this project and not just pushing buttons. Thanks to Kay Crouch for her wonderful piano, tin whistle and percussion tracks and her harmony vocals. Thanks to Charlie Smith for his great steel drum tracks. Thanks to Brad Hill in Nashville for producing “There’s A Star” and thanks to all the musicians there who lent their talents. These are some songs I have written or co-written over the last 43 years that have never been recorded in a studio. Hope you like them. “There’s A Star” recorded, produced and engineered by Brad Hill, Nashville TN and at Ticknock Studio, Lenoir NC, engineered by Patrick Crouch. Mastering by Brad Hill. All other songs recorded at Ticknock Studio, Lenoir NC , produced and engineered by Patrick Crouch. Mastering by Alex McCollough at Yes Master, Nashville TN Executive Producer – Rick Hubbard Cover Photography, Graphics & Design – Annie Edwards Cover Technical Assistance – Jennifer Hamilton There’s A Star Music & Lyrics by Terry Edwards Lead Vocal – Terry Edwards Instruments and background vocals – Musicians and vocalists assembled by Brad Hill who I’ve never met but hope to some day. This is a homesick bluegrass gospel song about the lighted star atop Hibriten Mountain overlooking Lenoir, NC. I did not grow up there, but I have lived there for the past 24 years and I wanted to write from the prospective of someone who was born and raised there but is away now and misses the warmth of home that the memory of the lighted star represents in his life. Ever Since I was a child I looked forward to Christmas Cause right after Thanksgiving, they’d turn them big lights on And that spirit would shine down all over our town Let the weary travelers know they were finally home There’s a star (there’s a star) up on Hibriten Mountain And at Easter they change it to a cross And for years it’s been a beacon for airplanes and truckers But most of all for those of us who were lost I raised hell when I was young, ran away from that star I was lost and found and lost again in sin But that man up on that cross showed me His mercy Welcomed me back home to these mountains again There’s a cross (there’s a cross) up on Hibriten Mountain And at Christmas they change it to a star And for years it’s been a beacon to light our way home To let us know where we are Now them factory jobs are gone to Mexico and China Had to move to find work far away And my mountain heart yearns to be in Carolina To be lost in the light of that cross today There’s a cross (there’s a cross) up on Hibriten Mountain And at Christmas they change it to a star And for years it’s been a beacon to light our way home To let us know where we are There’s a star (there’s a star) up on Hibriten Mountain And at Easter they change it to a cross And for years it’s been a beacon for airplanes and truckers But most of all for those of us who were lost Most of all for those of us who were lost If your lost down in the valley Just look up on that mountain Keep your eyes on the cross Uncle Ben’s Converted Blues Music and Lyrics by Terry Edwards Terry Edwards – Rhythm Guitar, drums and vocal Patrick Crouch – Dobro, mandolin, bass My uncle Ben Bolick was orphaned when he was very young and my paternal grandparents took him in and raised him as one of their own. He was more of a brother to my father than some of his other seven brothers. When WWII came along, Ben volunteered and served in the 82nd Airborne, seeing action in North Africa, Italy, Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge and on to Berlin. He came home and spent the rest of his life on the family farm in Horse Cove outside of Highlands, NC. He was a mystery to me when I was a boy. Hardly ever spoke and never talked about his horrific experiences in the war unless he was drinking. But he was a gentle soul who spent his days tirelessly working on the farm and his evenings enjoying hand rolled cigarettes and staring at the dog who was lying in front of his little house across the yard. So I wrote this for Ben and all the veterans like him who had to deal with their PTSD long before anyone knew what to call it. My uncle Ben, he’s sixty eight, Prince Albert is his friend He’s been rolling his own long before it was a sin That old double bit axe is just an extension of his mind It does what he wants it to. You oughta see that firewood flyin He’s got blisters on his hands. He’s got calluses on his brain You might think he’s got nothing to live for He goes on living just the same He came home in ’45 with all those medals and he put them on the shelf He never talks about the big one. He just keeps it to himself He’s got nothing to say about ol’ D-Day except to say that it was rough ‘Til you get a couple of six packs in him and then you can’t shut him up He’s got blisters on his hands. He’s got calluses on his brain You might think he’s got nothing to live for He goes on living just the same He landed in France with a paratrooper company When they came back home there were seven alive And two who could not see But over the years his memory has faded And his wounds have healed up fine Except for the scars nobody sees, hidden in the back of his mind He’s got blisters on his hands. He’s got calluses on his brain You might think he’s got nothing to live for He goes on living just the same But his glory days are over now. They’re not what’s important at all Don’t you know that it’s farmin in the spring and the summer Cuttin that firewood in the fall Well it’s been fifty years since he volunteered and he went across the sea His country has forgotten him but he gets his medicine for free And every Saturday afternoon he watches raslin on TV He’s outlived six brothers and four farm dogs And he’ll probably outlive me But each night when he sits and rolls up another Stares out the window..........After supper You know I wonder....I wonder what he sees He’s got blisters on his hands. He’s got calluses on his brain You might think he’s got nothing to live for. He goes on living just the same You might think he’s got nothing to live for. He goes on living just the same Musicians Prayer Music and Lyrics by Terry Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Drums, Vocals Patrick Crouch – Violin, Mandolin, Bass, Harmony Vocals Kay Crouch – Harmony Vocals I started writing this for Annie in the JFK Airport in 1981 while waiting to board the band’s flight to Saudi Arabia. This is also for all the road warriors out there that have to leave loved ones at home. Watch over her Lord while I’m gone. See that no harm comes her way Please let her know that she’s not alone ‘til I can get back home to stay We’ve been together seems like forever. We’ve shared our lives & our songs She opens her heart and her soul up to me Locks them away while I’m gone God I know that it hurts her for me to be out here Chasing after rainbows in my mind But she lets me go cause she knows I have to Rainbows are so hard to find So watch over her Lord while I’m gone. See that no harm comes her way Please let her know that she’s not alone ‘til I can get back home to stay God I pray she never grows tired of carrying this load Though the smart streak in her tells her that she should And I pray she never grows tired of sharing me with the road Cause someday I’ll be coming home for good So watch over her Lord while I’m gone. See that no harm comes her way Please let her know that she’s not alone ‘til I can get back home to stay ‘Til I can get back home to stay Willard Music and Lyrics by Terry Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Vocal Patrick Crouch – Banjo, Sousaphone Kay Crouch – Percussion Willard Blevins is a legendary character in Lenoir, NC who has for years dressed up on a daily basis in costumes ranging from comic book characters to music and movie heroes. Anyone who has ever encountered him has their own unforgettable beloved “Willard” story. Ask Brad for his. His is my favorite. Ask me and I’ll tell you mine. Willard, oh Willard, who will you be today? I love it when you dress up in all those different ways Up and down the streets of our town, sometimes I wish I was you Wish I could hear that different drummer that you’re marching to Now the first time you see him you might think That what you’re seeing ain’t real He might be in drag and he might be Rambo It all depends on how he feels It might be Elvis decked out in white with rhinestones and them shades You might think he’s a little off but if you ask me He’s got it made! Yeah Willard, oh Willard, who will you be today? Will it be the hula girl or the motorcycle cop? I love it when you dress that way Up and down the streets of our town, sometimes I wish I was you Wish I could hear that different drummer that you’re marching to Yeah Willard sometimes I wish I was you and I wish you was me You could have my job and my stress and I could be so free Free to get up every morning, slip on my Iguana And be whoever I wanted to be Yeah Willard, oh Willard, who will you be today? Will it be Roy Rogers or Superman. Man it knocks me out When you dress that way! Roy Orbison never looked so good. I love it when you sing him loud No town our size has an authentic Batman Lord it makes me proud! Up and down the streets of our town, sometimes I wish I was you Wish I could hear that different drummer that you’re That you’re marching to.... Oh Willard!! Old Friend Music by Terry Edwards Lyrics by Annie Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Drums, Vocals Brad Edwards – Lead Guitar Patrick Crouch – Violin, Bass, Wind Chimes, Harmony Vocals Kay Crouch – Piano, Harmony Vocals I came home one night to our Days Lodge room to find these lyrics on the coffee table that Annie had written on a legal pad. They moved me so much I had to sit down right then and come up with the music. Moonlight washes overhead and I think of my first love And the memory starts to warm me Like a cold hand in a winter glove And that feeling is no stranger and that memory is always near Cause my first love is my last love and the same love that I have here All around us I hear crying about the loves that didn’t last All the giving too soon forgotten Shattered feelings like broken glass But each day, our love grows stronger Never breaking because we’ve learned to bend And my old friend you are my first love And my first love is still my best friend Oh yes we may be strange ones, out of season, out of step with the times But you’re my first love. You’re my last love. You’re the one I had to find Yes my old friend you are my first love and the only love that I need And together we’ll spend a lifetime, loving now and making memories Loving now and making memories Where Did You Learn To Love Like That Music and Lyrics by Terry Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Drums, Vocals Patrick Crouch – Electric Guitar, Slide Guitar, Bass, Harmony Vocal Kay Crouch – Percussion, Harmony Vocal Charlie Smith – Steel Drums Some of you have been there. At the 20 year class reunion you run into the person who was the class wall flower in school, making A’s in algebra and flunking PE. Thick glasses and lots of books and not a trace of personality. But now, 20 years later, they are attractive and poised and articulate and you marvel at the transformation. Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? Say I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Wherever it is let’s go Always had my eye on you when we were in school But you never gave your heart. You were nobody’s fool Always thought that you might. Never know that you would That was oh so long ago. Where did you get so good? Tell me baby Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? Say I got ta, I gotta know Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Wherever it is let’s go You were always such a sweet sweet child Did exactly what you should But when you decided to be so bad baby I never had it, never had it so good, tell me Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? Say I got ta, I gotta know Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? Say I got ta, know Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Where did you learn to love like that? Say I got ta, I gotta know Where did you learn to love like that? I got to know Wherever it is let’s go You’ll Grow Into It Music by Terry Edwards Lyrics by Terry Edwards and Joe Lail Terry Edwards – Guitar, Vocal Patrick Crouch – Violin, Synthesizer, Bass. Harmony Vocal Kay Crouch – Percussion, Harmony Vocal A great friend of mine, Joe Lail came up to me one night at Woodlands and thrust a piece of paper in my hand and said “there’s a song in here. Go write it”. On the paper were three words “ hat, shirt , shoes”. It was close to Fathers Day, so this song sort of evolved into a song for my father. I guess like all young boys of six I thought my dad was ten feet tall I thought that he hung the moon like all boys do when they’re small And one day he gave me one of his hats but it came down over my eyes I said “Dad this thing’s too big for me. Should we wait ‘til it’s more my size?” And he said “You’ll grow into it. Someday you’ll be big and strong. You’ll put it on and it will fit someday before too long.” It was late December. We were out cutting wood. I was thirteen and chilled to the bone. He reached in the Jeep and pulled out a flannel shirt and said “Here boy, put this on.” Well it felt so warm but it nearly swallowed me. The tail drug way past my knees. I said “Dad I know it’s cold. Should we wait ‘til I’m older? He said “Well at least you won’t freeze and besides you’ll grow into it Someday you’ll be big and strong. You’ll put it on and it will fit Someday before too long.” Well I never understood his love for me ‘til I was grown and gone Wish I could go back and tell him so but I’m afraid I’ve waited too long Had to clean his closet out last week and I found Those old logging boots that he used Though I know they’ll fit I can’t bare to put them on Cause I’ll never fill his shoes Though he’d say “You’ll grow into it. Someday you’ll be big and strong You’ll put ‘em on and they will fit someday before too long Yeah, he’d say “You’ll grow into it.” But I’ll never be that big at all Cause there’s some things about the man That’ll always be ten feet tall. He’ll always be ten feet tall Now I have You Music by Terry Edwards Lyrics by Terry Edwards and Buddy Shuey Terry Edwards – Guitar, Vocals Patrick Crouch – Pedal Steel Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass, Harmony Vocals Kay Crouch – Piano, Drums, Harmony Vocals When Cullowhee was touring in the late ‘70’s and early 80’s we played several times a year in Louisville, Ky. One of the band’s greatest fans there was Buddy Shuey and many a late night after party was held at his house. Buddy was a poet and harmonica player and at one of these all nighters, we sat down and put some tunes to his poetry. I was drowning in my sorrows, sinking lower day by day Hey barkeep another whiskey to wash these blues away But the whiskey didn’t help it, just numbed the pain for awhile ‘Til I found you and I remembered how to smile Ain’t it hard to believe what a love can do Once I had nothing and now I have you Now my life has meaning. Sadness is in the past The days used to go by so slowly. Now the years fly by too fast And I don’t hit the bottle as much anymore and all my friends ask me why I just tell them I don’t need it anymore cause I found a love to keep me high Ain’t it hard to believe what a love can do Once I had nothing and now I have you Once I had nothing and now I have you Cedar Valley Christmas Music and Lyrics by Terry and Annie Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Drums, Vocals Brad Edwards – Lead Guitar Patrick Crouch – Mandolin, Bass Kay Crouch – Percussion The Edwards Family Singers – Annie, Brad & Ashley, Virginia – Harmony Vocals Annie and I wrote this song for our church for the Christmas Eve service in 1977 and our family has performed it there every Christmas Eve since. There’s a church in Carolina where the Appalachians start Where the true spirit of Christmas still lives in every heart Where the whole congregation becomes one family And celebrates the Christ Child’s birth in peace and harmony Take me back to Cedar Valley. Let me kneel and pray with all my friends Let me hear the telling of the story and sing Silent Night again It’s the stillness of a snowfall. It’s the worship that we share It’s the light in children’s faces. It’s the love when people care It’s the peace that comes with knowing there’s a miracle in the night That the Lord has His eye on the mountains Peace on earth, good will, good night Take me back to Cedar Valley. Let me kneel and pray with all my friends Let me hear the telling of the story and sing Silent Night again Yes the Lord has his eye on the mountains Peace on earth, good will, good night Toast to Harry Music by Terry Edwards Lyrics by Annie Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Drums, Vocal Patrick Crouch – Cello, Bass Kay Crouch – Piano That evening in July of 1981 when we heard that Harry Chapin had been killed in a car crash we were devastated. His music, showmanship and philanthropy was an inspiration to all of us and for him to be taken so suddenly at the height of his career was hard to accept. Annie processed her grief by writing this poem and she asked me to put it to music. Our dear friend Jenni Oglesby put together a poster of the poem with a silhouette of Harry along side the words. Many years later we got to go see the Chapin Family Tribute to Harry and got to give them copies of the poster. Hopefully someday we’ll get to give them a copy of the song. I knew when we recorded this that I wanted cello to be the lead instrument as it was so prominent in Harry’s music. Many thanks to Patrick for coming up with a cello part that captures the essence of Harry’s sound. You never let the critics tell you how to write A story tells itself. You were our sense of sight You help to ease our hunger and you always filled our souls You told the stories your way even though it broke the molds Girls on the make and cops on the take, you led us through them all Life’s a wonderful circle and through your eyes we saw Now that He’s turned out the spotlight we’re not sure where to go There were things we wanted to say to you To let you know that something showed But your story will have a sequel. You let us call you friend The love and understanding you gave can never simply end Mail order brides and mayors who lied, you led us through them all Life’s a wonderful circle and through your eyes we saw We shall not grieve for this man for we know that God cares Ah Harry, you know you said it best And we’ll try to remember that we’ll all be together again Maybe it was just time you got some rest Now the taxi stand is empty. The driver has gone home And the stranger will never find the words for his song But the children can go on painting all the colors that they see You taught us that the rainbow is a better place to be Lonely bars and shooting stars, you led us through them all Life’s a wonderful circle and through your eyes we saw Life’s a wonderful circle And through your eyes We saw White Owl Music and Lyrics by Terry Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Drums, Vocal Patrick Crouch – Mandolin, Octave Violin, Bass, Screech Owl Kay Crouch – Tin Whistle This is the first song I ever wrote. I wrote it in the summer of 1969, after being scared to death by a white screech owl in the woods one night on the property of High Hampton Inn and Country Club where I was working. The next day I asked the owner, Mr. W.D. McKee about the owl. He directed me to a book of mountain ghost stories and legends written by John Paris, a well know columnist for The Asheville Citizen. After reading the chapter on Mrs. Heaton and her love for her mountain land, I knew this story had to be put to song. In the hills of North Carolina, if you’ve ever visited here You can hear an owl crying in the night like a woman loud and clear. Like a woman screaming loud and clear. Many years ago around High Hampton Dr. Halsted owned it all but some fields Mr. Heaton said, “Name me a good price” For the rest of the land was his. Now Mr. Heaton thought he’d landed quite a bargain Mrs. Heaton didn’t see it that way She said, “you sell this land out from under me and I’ll kill myself This very day And I’ll hang myself this very day Cause we’ve worked this land for so many years It’s been good to us and we’ve survived We’ve fed its heart with spirits tears. I won’t leave it While I’m still alive.” Well Mr. Heaton he didn’t believe her so he went off And signed the deed. When he came back home that same afternoon she was hanging From the backyard tree She was hanging from the backyard tree. Her hair had turned white as Ivory Mr. Heaton fell back at the sight for in the tree crying like a woman in pain Sat an owl of purest white A white haired Mr. Heaton left next morning. He was never seen again. They buried his wife’s body but not her soul It rides those white wings in the wind. Now to this day at High Hampton many people Have seen and heard this white owl above But the old timers know it’s just Mrs. Heaton Crying over the land she loved. Watching over The land she loved Uncle Ben’s Converted Blues Part II Music and Lyrics by Terry Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Drums, Vocal Brad Edwards – Lead Guitar Patrick Crouch – Mandolin, Dobro, Bass After my Uncle Ben’s death, the duty fell upon my sister Jane, my brother Paul and some of our cousins to go through his personal effects, most of which were kept in his old army footlocker at the foot of his bed. Inside, in addition to his uniforms, service and combat valor medals and discharge papers was an explanation of why he never married and why he had lived in seclusion on the family farm after the war. It was a profound revelation to all of us. And so, many years after writing the first Uncle Ben’s Converted Blues, I finally knew what he was seeing when he spent his evenings staring at the dog across the yard and I just had to write the sequel. But each night when he sits and rolls up another Stares out the window after supper You know I wonder I wonder what he sees Just an old footlocker, olive drab and metal cast But we never knew how much it held of his past. Uniforms pressed and folded as if they’d call him back And that bundle of letters all twined up in a stack. They fell in love in England in the spring of ‘44 By then Ben had already seen way too much of war. North Africa and Italy and D-Day yet to come She swore she would write him every day ‘til he got home She was a young war widow or at least that’s what they said. Shot down in flames, they were certain he was dead. So she started life over and lost her heart to Ben This mysterious Yank with the Appalachian grin Just an old footlocker, olive drab and metal cast But we never knew how much it held of his past Uniforms pressed and folded, his bronze stars and his knife And that bundle of letters from the love of his life And when the war was over and his mountains pulled him back It was time for her decision to stay or to pack But she would not go with him. She would not take his name Not a widow after all, she could not bring her family shame So he came home with his medals and his stories of the war But of all the ones he told, he never mentioned her. So he lived out his evenings watching old Shep across the yard With that thousand yard stare that only sees from the heart Just an old footlocker, olive drab and metal cast But we never knew how much it held of his past Uniforms pressed and folded, his bronze stars and his knife And that bundle of letters from the love Of his life Rockin’ Away Music by Terry Edwards Lyrics by Terry and Annie Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Vocals Brad Edwards – Lead Guitar Patrick Crouch – Rocking Chair, Mountain Dulcimer, Bass, Harmony Vocal Patrick “Schroeder” Crouch – Piano Kay Crouch – Drums, Harmony Vocal I wrote this as a lullaby for Brad when he was an infant and we sang it to him and to his sister when she came along. And here we are twenty six years later, full circle, with him playing lead guitar on a song written for him and Virginia singing harmony on Cedar Valley Christmas. Like the song says, “never knew that I could be so proud”. There’s nothing quite as peaceful as rocking your newborn Listening to them breathe even and slow And the whole world stops moving except for the rocking chair And you wish that they’d never have to grow Just rockin’ away, rockin’ away Oh what a way to wind down the day Rockin’ Away, rockin’ away Were rockin’ our troubles away Never understood my father ‘til I was one Never knew what love was all about Never understood my mother ‘til I loved one Never knew that I could be so proud Just rockin’ away, rockin’ away Oh what a way to wind down the day Rockin’ away, rockin’ away We’re rockin’ our troubles away Oh I know that someday I won’t understand you And you’ll think your old man’s a fool But tonight it’s just us and this old rocking chair Just me and the sandman and you And we’re rockin’ away, rockin’ away Oh what a way to wind down the day Rockin’ away, rockin’ away We’re rockin’ our troubles away Rockin’ away, rockin’ away We’re rockin’ this old world away It’s Out of My Hands Music and Lyrics by Terry Edwards Terry Edwards – Guitar, Vocal Patrick Crouch – Guitar, Mandolin, Dobro, Harmony Vocal Kay Crouch – Percussion, Harmony Vocal Ron Shuffler – Bass This entire song came to me in the space of twenty minutes one afternoon while I was mowing the yard. I had been under a tremendous amount of stress and these lyrics came to calm me down. I cut the mower off and ran in the house to write it all down before it left me. I have since that day said that I didn’t write it. He just let me hold the pen. It’s out of my hands. I’m trusting Jesus It’s out of my hands. He’s in control And I know that this burden’s gonna be a blessing When the Holy Spirit takes hold And I know where He leads me will be much better Than anything I could have planned So I’ll lift my arms to the heavens and shout It’s outta my hands, Praise God, It’s outta my hands When the rush of this world starts getting to me And there’s too many people to please That still small voice starts whispering slow down You’re running too fast when you oughta be on your knees Just think of our Master in the garden When he prayed “not my will but thine” And that peace that goes beyond understanding Will flood your heart and your mind and you’ll say It’s out of my hands. I’m trusting Jesus It’s out of my hands. He’s in control And I know that this burden’s going to be a blessing When the Holy Spirit takes hold And I know where He leads me will be much better Than anything I could have planned So I’ll lift my arms to the heavens and shout It’s outta my hands, Praise God, It’s outta my hands Oh the peace and joy that comes with knowing That serving Him will bring you all you need When you say what can I do for the Lord today Instead of asking what can He do for me And when that Holy Spirit starts moving You can feel it down deep in your soul And that old Devil just ain’t got a chance When the body of Christ starts to roll and we’ll say It’s out of our hands. We’re trusting Jesus It’s out of our hands. He’s in control And I know that this burden’s gonna be a blessing When the Holy Spirit takes hold And I know where He leads us will be much better Than anything we could have planned So we’ll lift our arms to the heavens and shout It’s outta our hands, Praise God, It’s outta our hands So we’ll lift our hearts to the heavens and shout It’s outta our hands, Praise God, It’s outta our hands It’s outta our hands