Homegrown Love
--Chrissie and Jimmy Joe Natoli ©2013
My gal showers me with love like rain
Little hearts in the fog on the windowpane Oh, Oh
My guy hung the moon and all the stars
Saved a few for me in blue Mason jars Oh, Oh
Refrain:
Homegrown love
Never get enough
Ripe for the pickin’
Always in season
Ain’t no need for cannin’ or freezin’
Ooooo, Homegrown love
She plants peaches and tomato trees
Plucks a dozen kisses right off the breeze Oh, Oh
Never has to ask how my day has been
Built a fence to keep the sunshine in Oh, Oh
(Repeat refrain) (Instrumental break)
Sweet like honey straight from the hive
I got the sweetest tooth of any man alive Oh, Oh
Sweeps me off my feet with a kitchen broom
Dust bunnies dancin’ all around the room Oh, Oh
Final Refrain:
Homegrown love
Fits like a garden glove
Ripe for the pickin’
Always in season
Once you’ve tasted it, nothin’s as pleasin’
Ooooo, as Homegrown love
Ooooo, Homegrown Love
Cryin’
--Chrissie and Jimmy Joe Natoli ©2012
Refrain:
Cryin’ over you, should be trying
to find something new to do.
I been denying that we’re through.
Now I’m cryin’ over you
You went away without a single word
Saddest good-bye that I never heard.
How many times won’t you walk through my door
‘Til I admit you won’t be back anymore?
(Repeat refrain)
The moment’s burned into my memory
Just when you didn’t come back to me.
You said you’d always love me, it seemed so clear.
Now I hang on every word that I don’t hear.
(Instrumental break)
There is no letter that’s not in the mail
My phone’s not been ringing without fail
Now I just sit here all alone
Wondering what time you won’t be home.
(Repeat refrain)
I been lyin' and that's the truth
Now I'm cryin'
For the Birds
--Chrissie and Jimmy Joe Natoli ©2006
That fella’s got long arms, can reach clear across town
He can sit in the front seat, roll the back windows down
That lady’s a short stack, tuck her under my chin
What she lacks in stature, she makes up in her grin
Refrain:
You might be odd and I might be even
But there’s no off chance that I’m ever leavin’
‘Cause we both know love don’t grow on trees
So we’ll build us a windmill and harvest the breeze
And seize the day with ease, Like the birds and the bees
That guy has got big feet, they sleep in the next room
He’s got a good “under-standing”, but I can’t *stand* the fume
That girl’s a heavy sleeper, pillows over her head
Another 18 or 19 stacked up on the bed
(Repeat Refrain)
That guy is a gearhead dressed in his ratchet wear
He keeps an extra engine in the trunk by the spare
That girl loves a road trip, keeps drivin’ all day
Doesn’t need a GPS always finds her way
(Repeat refrain, instrumental break)
That man has a huge heart, it’s wide as a house
He’d make a good husband, an even better spouse
That girl’s been asking me to ask if she’d be my wife
I could never live without her even if I live my whole life
(Repeat refrain, Tag “Seize the day with ease”)
Hole the Size of Texas
Jimmy Joe Natoli ©2001
Refrain:
I've got a hole the size of Texas
right above my solar plexus
Just about where my heart used to be
She was my one and only
now I'm feeling oh so lonely
Since I lost the most important part of me
Guess I had the gumption
to make a bad assumption
One that made her go from here to gone
My blood line just got shorter
at the end of my aorta
Don't know how I'll ever carry on
Gave it all I had to give
the best way that I've learned to live
Lay my heart out there for all to see
Then I lost my lover
and my heart ran for cover
Now I miss the most important part of me
(Repeat Refrain)
(Break with "Ooooh"s)
No crimson pump within my breast,
no chance of cardiac arrest
I have no heart to wear upon my sleeve
My corinary artery
has ceased to be a part of me
I don't have the heart to grant myself reprieve
I've been feeling sicker
since the day I lost my ticker
It's a wonder that I'm still alive
A miracle of science
I'm the king of death defiance
'Cause I don't need a heartbeat to survive
(Repeat Refrain)
(Break with "Ooooh"s)
I'll never be her hero
now by heart rate stands at zero
I don't guess she'll ever come back
I'm not feeling any fresher
now that I have no blood pressure
At least I'll never die of a heart attack
I know this sounds bizarre
but I am beyond CPR
I've got nothing to resuscitate
No need to cut cholesterol
the damn thing's missing after all
I need a heart to heart, but it's too late
(Repeat refrain)
. . . since I lost the most important part of me
‘Til the Cows Come Home
--Chrissie Natoli ©2010
Baby, ‘til the cows come home
I’ll be lovin’ you
And you can bet the farm
I’ll always be true
Baby, as the crow flies
I’ll make a beeline for your door
If I’m a little lovesick
I hope they never find a cure
Baby, ‘til the cows come home
‘Til the final curtain call
You’ll be my best leading man
Until the deal goes down
I’ll be stickin’ to the plan
Baby, ‘til the fight is fought
I’ll be cheerin’ in your court
Whether you win or lose
I’ll be here holding down the fort
Baby, ‘til the cows come home
Bridge:
You are my sweet dreams
My lullaby and good-night
And every day I wake up next to you
You are my love at first sight
(Instrumental break)
‘Til the tax man is a memory
I will claim you for my own
‘Til the banks give up on interest fees
My heart will be on loan
Through rain, sleet, snow, or hail
I will never miss a day
And I will sing your song
When there’s nothin’ left to say
Baby, ‘til the cows come home
(Repeat bridge)
Dizzy Fingers
Zez Confrey ©1923
This piece was originally a
piano tune written for the
player piano by Zez
Confrey, a native of Illinois
famous for his jazz piano
compositions. Chet Atkins
got a hold of it and turned it into a guitar piece, featured on his live 1979 album And Then Came Chet Atkins. Jimmy Joe was first exposed to it in 1984 when it was the Soundpage in the July edition of Guitar Player Magazine.
Thank you for taking the time to seek out the lyrics to the songs from our sophomore album, All Over the Map.
We hope you enjoy.
Artwork by Thaïs Perkins
The One That Got Away
--Chrissie Natoli and Steve Brooks ©2011
Took my boy fishing on the lake
With a bamboo pole and a can of bait
Got three bites in an hour’s time
‘Til a twelve pound cat broke a ten pound line
I saw his eyes start to fill with tears,
I hugged him tight and I said, “My Dear, “
Refrain:
“You can cry about the one that got away
Made you happy for a little while
Tears will dry and you’ll be looking back someday
The memories are gonna make you smile
It’s okay, there’s always one that got away”
He kissed a girl from the marching band
At football games they were holding hands
'Til her family moved to another state
Soon a letter came, told him not to wait.
I saw him try just to hide the tears
I said, ‘”I know that it’s hard to hear...but”
(Repeat refrain)
I watched him making his greatest catch
As he tied the line with his perfect match
I thought to myself as our dance was done,
“Now I’m losing my little son.”
He saw my eyes start to fill with tears
I heard him whispering in my ear....
“You can cry about the one that got away
Made you happy for a little while
Tears will dry and you’ll be looking back someday
The memories are gonna make you smile
And I’ll always let you love me like a child
Come what may, I’ll be your one that got away”
Olden Days
--Jimmy Joe Natoli ©
Grandpa used to tell me 'bout the olden days
How he used to walk to school up hill both ways
He'd set me down right there upon his knee
And I'd hang on to every word that Grandpa'd say to me
He'd reminisce out loud about when bread was just a dime
I sat there wide open eyes, traveling through time
To a day when gas was cheaper than the price of dirt by far
But that was back before the wheel, let alone the car
He told us fishing stories about when he used to sail
Somehow the fish got bigger every time he'd tell the tale
Grandma told us how he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn
And how she would knit the sweaters while Grandpa spun the yarn
Grandpa was a hunter, quite a marksman in fact
Said he once took down a buck with his gun behind his back
Told me once out on the field he had a golden arm
But he turned down the big leagues for he would not leave the farm
Grandpa never claimed to be a lady's man, he'd say
But he broke a heart or two or three or four back in his day
Grandma didn't mind Grandpa telling his white lies
The truth is where it matters, you could see it in his eyes
In the days that followed after Grandpa died
We ate too much and laughed a little more than we cried
Grandma told us how he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn
And how she would knit the sweaters while Grandpa spun the yarn
Grandpa told me life was hard when he was a young lad
Sometimes he thought the good would never catch up to the bad
But he worked hard and loved
and he gave thanks and he gave praise
And he lived a life without regret back in the olden days
In the months that followed after Grandpa died
We drank too much and laughed a little more than we cried
Grandma told us how he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn
And how she would knit the sweaters while Grandpa spun the yarn
She would knit the sweaters while Grandpa spun the yarn
Wish We Could Go out Tonight
--Chrissie Natoli ©2011
Perfect spring evening, flowers in bloom
I feel a bit giddy from their perfume
Stars are shining, the moon full and white
Wish we could go out tonight
Refrain:
But the bank account is dwindling
And with the price of gas
It’s hard to make a paycheck last
So we’ll sit on the front porch
Watch the world go by
And wish we could go out tonight
We’ll dress ourselves up like a night on the town
Then pour some cheap wine and just settle down
Dance alone in the pale street light
Wish we could out tonight
(Repeat Refrain)
Bridge:
Now you know I am happy you’re here with me
But, Darling, it’s just a tragedy
When you look so lovely and I feel so proud
We should go out parading around
Darling, you are such a beautiful sight
I wish we could go out tonight
(Repeat refrain)
Alyeska
Jimmy Joe Natoli ©
Wide open sky, no fear to fly, I am one with the wind
Tide rolling high, I hear the cry of a distant ship coming in
From Alyeska I could see the Turnagain Arm
I was seduced by her charm
The hills are askew with the souls of a few
Who died with gold in their eyes
A dream in their hearts, they came to these parts
Panning for better lives
From Alyeska they could see the Turnagin Arm
They were seduced by her charm
Wide open land, earth in my hand
I am one with the trees
A fish in a stream, clouds from a dream
Await the deep winter freeze
From Talkeetna I could see Denali rise
The endless sun fills my eyes
The hills are askew with the souls of a few
Who died with gold in their eyes
A dream in their hearts, they came to these parts
Panning for better lives
From Alyeska they could see the Turnagin Arm
They were seduced by her charm
From Alyeska I could see the Turnagain Arm
I was seduced by her charm
Dear Joshua
--Chrissie Natoli ©2009
Dear Joshua,
How you been? It’s been a while, hope you’re both doin’ okay. I been bad about keepin’ in touch, but there’s so much I always think to say. I thought of you, they put new condos up but they tore down that Chinese restaurant. And Toni still plays every week at that old club. It was your favorite haunt.
And I can’t believe it’s been 3 years since Jim
and I loaded the kids up in the car, headed to
New York at Christmas time, but before we got
too far, it started to snow. I made a call, I said,
“Hey, Joshua, we’re near your town. They’re
closing the highways down and the motels are full.” You offered us your guestroom, made a feast. We played Pictionary, we made up our own rules. It was wonderful to finally meet your wife, she’s so pretty and sweet. And the kids love the card tricks that you taught ‘em, practiced for hours in the backseat, gave our folks quite a show. Dear Joshua.
We never would have worked out, you know. I see that clearly through the lens of many years. Wish we’d known that so long ago, would have saved us both a lot of tears. Or maybe not, the heart doesn’t do so well just lookin’ at the facts. You can’t just skip to the end of the play. You’ve got to read through all the acts before you can know.
Dear Joshua, when you went away, it took a long time for my heart to mend. But I’m glad we’re both married now, and somehow we all can be friends. And Jim and I will be sure to stop by if we’re in that part of Virginia again.
I saw the pictures you posted online. I’m glad everyone is fine. Be sure to give my love to yours, and I’ll give your love to mine. Ooooh ooooh. Dear Joshua.
Kentucky Fried Pickin'
--Jimmy Joe Natoli ©1999
This song was inspired by
a guitar contest in Austin shortly
after Jimmy Joe moved there. It has
evolved over the years, especially as
Jimmy Joe played it as the farmers market every week. Sick joined him on fiddle for several years, and we were thrilled to showcase Sick in this song on the album as a tribute to all those Saturday mornings!!
The Window
--Chrissie Natoli ©2011
Well, I’m not exactly running, but then I’m not standing still
And that endless Texas heat’s got me looking for a chill
Walking with you in Portland, cool breezes blowing by
Up above the busy night a light catches my eye
Now there’s something kind of cozy, something kind of sweet
About a window bathed in yellow light high above the street.
And just for a minute, I know exactly how it’d be
If I could peek in that window and see you and me
Refrain:
If we lived inside that window we’d see the ocean every day
We’d watch the pretty boats come and go away.
We’d see the people in the streets, in the cafes and the bars
Watch the world go by below, from our soft yellow glow
If that window were ours
At Christmas time we’d put a tree in that fourth floor window
You’d see it sparkle red and green from this corner in the snow
If we wanted a cup of coffee, there’d be a shop right down the stairs
If we didn’t need anything at all we’d just sit there in our chairs.
(Repeat refrain)
Bridge:
But let’s keep walking down the street,
find a place to get a bite to eat
I’m not good at standing still you see,
but maybe someday I will be.
(Instrumental break, Repeat refrain)
Tag:
But for now we should move on, we don’t have very long
Maybe we’ll be back someday, Maybe then we could stay. .
If we lived inside that window. . .
