Sixteen Horsepower - Secret South

16 HORSEPOWER

SECRET SOUTH (2000)

  1. Clogger
  2. Wayfaring Stranger
  3. Cinder Alley
  4. Burning Bush
  5. Poor Mouth
  6. Silver Saddle
  7. Praying Arm Lane
  8. Splinters
  9. Just Like Birds
10. Nobody 'cept You
11. Straw Foot

16 HORSEPOWER

SECRET SOUTH

1. CLOGGER

Hey mister with your iron feet, yeah
Never waver from your path
You think you got a way with something, boy, well
See his hand and feel his staff
Hey, you got a way with words alright, yeah
And quite a way with the ladies
Your thoughts are troubled as you hang a left
There ain't no maybees

Come and sing me down
And give my conscience a poundin'
Come and shake my ground, Lord
With the sound of heaven's houndin'

You're thinkin' when this is all over
We'll all just sit back and laugh
Well, I don't think so, friend, 'cause
I done the math
And I ain't lookin' to gain any honor
No, no not among you thieves
I'll be there right beside you though
In judgement on my knees

Now here you come a draggin'
Jus' couldn't help yourself
Puttin' on your poor mouth and
Takin' from His wealth
You come up proper now, you
You ride a faithless steed
Took you down the wrong road, son
Word and in deed, yeah

Come and sing me down
Give my conscience a poundin'
Come and shake my ground
With the sound of heaven's houndin'

Come and sing us down
Give our conscience a poundin'
Come and shake our ground, Lord
With the sound of heaven's houndin'

Come and take our crowns, Lord
Give our conscience a poundin'
Come and take our crown, Lord
With the sound of heaven's houndin'.

2. WAYFARING STRANGER

I am just a poor wayfaring stranger
Traveling through a world of woe
Ain't no sickness, toil, nor danger
In that bright land to which I go

I'm goin' there to see my father
Said he'd meet me when I come
I'm only goin' over Jordan
I'm only goin' over home

I know dark clouds gonna gather 'round me
I know my way'll be rough and steep
Yet beautiful fields lie just before me
Where God's redeemed their vigils keep

I'm goin' there to see my loved ones
Gone before me one by one
I'm only goin' over Jordan
I'm only goin' over home

I'll soon be free from earthly trials
This body rest in the ol' churchyard
I'll drop this cross of self-denial
And go singing home to God

I'm goin' there to see my savior
To dwell with Him, no more to roam
I'm only goin' over Jordan
I'm only goin' over home
I'm only goin' over home.

3. CINDER ALLEY

Lovely, lovely Carol Sue
I see the heel of the father
Crush the head of the serpent for you
And that beast who found
His way up to your room
You know the one
The one whose colors are never true
Yeah, you do

Yet all the while 'neath
His banner you did stand
'Neath the shadow of his wing
Do you remember?

Sorrow stands near and close at hand
Sorrow stands and in sorrow's hand
The burning ember

He'll come a cinder
Fire call the kettle black
The dark can only hinder it
It will not hold you back
Nor tear you asunder

And the good shepherd
Lo, he left all the others
And went to look for you
Yes and he did find thee
And with bruised hands
He did unbind thee
Brought you out
Into the light of day

He'll come a cinder
Fire call the kettle black
The dark can only hinder it
It will not hold you back
Nor tear you asunder

O come and stand with me, mother
As we wait for the master's voice
And head that way together

He'll come a cinder
Fire call the kettle black
The dark can only hinder it
It will not hold you back
Nor tear you asunder.

4. BURNING BUSH

All the widows watch
Through all window sills
Hair raising in every room
Up the street come a walking chill
And you ask for nothing
'Cept to be by my side

See my tears, good father
Will they wash it away
All my dirt from your holy feet
No, I don't believe it work that way
'Cause you ask for nothing
'Cept to be by my side

I seen you in the river
Before God and man
Held by the holy hand of winter and
Brought low by winter's holy hand

Yes, my sister, girl
I know that it is true
You see me with the Lord's eye, girl
And you see right through
And you ask for nothin'
Is there something behind my eyes

I can look good, I swear
When the spirit blows
All ore and all through, yeah
My wretched bones
And you look for nothin'
'Cept to be by my side, love

I seen you in the river
Before God and man
Held by the holy hand of winter
And brought low by winter's holy hand.

5. POOR MOUTH

Is anything as lovely to me
As the truth in love
I'll take it over freedom any day
It brings me ever and this time
To my knees
And on my knees I run away

Yes, I know your sticks and stones, they
They will easily break these bones and
And all my words come back to haunt me

I will put my strength into
The things left standing
I am hoarse with wild eyes
No debts outstanding

My hands are yours, my brother
You can take my coat as well
My eyes are yours, sister
And my heart, and my heart
In which He dwells

Heard the voice of my master callin' me
From deep in the hollow
Said that I must a-follow Him there, yeah

Is any place darker for me
With all them wolves about
Well it's a poor mouth that I wear

My hands are yours, my brother
You can take my coat as well
My eyes are yours, sister
And my heart, and my heart
In which He dwells
In which He dwells

Livin' me from hand to poor mouth
Yeah, that's me and our Secret South

I said livin' me from hand to poor mouth.

6. SILVER SADDLE

Tonight you've caught your breath
You've lost your American spirit
If only I could catch my death, yeah
Just give me long enough to fear it

Her talk ain't like the other girls
She takes my livin' at a glance
We hear the locust rasp back and forth
And through the thoughts the past does dance

Do I waste my time
Yeah, well you know it
And as I stroll through the room
See my features show it

Feel the hand on my shoulder
It, it calls me to dwell
Take a breath hard and clear, yeah
Like a hammer on a church bell.

7. PRAYING ARM LANE

Well, hey, I been down that a-way
With a dream on my arm
Yet me and my love, we could not stay
We heard voices of children
And by little hands were led away

All the boughs bend for us
All the earth awaits thee
All the stones they will cry out
And every tongue confess thee

Oh my dream, come and take me quickly
'Fore the struggle take me
Yeah, lay me down any way you choose
And let the voices of our children wake me, yeah

The boughs they all bend for us and
All the earth awaits thee
All the stones they will cry out, yes
And every tongue confess thee

And though the word, yes, it falls on deaf ears
It is spoken just the same
The word it stands
Looks straight at every man
From kings down to the lay

I told it fast and glad
The color of a slow drink
Or so they say
So they say by the light of day
Hidden 'neath their wings
Of black, brown and gray

The boughs they all will bend for us
And all the earth awaits thee
All the stones they will cry out
And every tongue confess thee

And though the word, yes, it falls on deaf ears
It is spoken just the same
The word it stands
Looks straight at every man
From kings down to the lay.

8. SPLINTERS

Self sent a twister
A-tearin' after me
Gonna bust my house to splinters, yes
And take all that's dear to me

You say you saw it comin', yeah
But still you did not flee
I was too weak, I couldn't move
Held by growth of a tree

And yes, I fell upon that rock
I did not die, just badly broken
And in time my healing it will come, yeah
By the words that He has spoken
Oh yeah
I fell upon that rock

Who is it now that loves you
Straight in the front door
And crooked out the back, yeah
What is it now you're a slave to
On your knees out in your shack
Oh yeah
I fell upon that rock

He is beyond the shadow
Of your doubt and mine
He is no man's opinion
He is truth divine

Self sent a twister
A-tearin' after me
Done bust my house to splinters, yeah
And took all that's dear to me, yeah
Come on

Who is it now that loves you
Straight in the front door
And crooked out the back, yeah
What is it now that you pray to
As your world begins to crack
Yeah, oh yeah
I fell upon that rock
Yeah

He's beyond the shadow
Of your doubt and mine
He is no man's opinion
He is truth divine

And yes, I fell upon that rock
I did not die, just badly broken
And in time my healing came, yeah
By the words that He has spoken.

9. JUST LIKE BIRDS

Little Johanna, girl of my prairie
Help me fill this house with living words
Further up and further in
Let 'em fly from our lips
Just like birds
Just like birds

All that dark woods from Pakistan
The glory, glory lodged inside
Strive to enter the narrow gate shown
To the fountain that flows deep and wide

He will never leave you
My much afraid
He waits patient
In our prayers unprayed

Now stay close to me
In and amongst the trees
I'll carry your shoes, child
You run and play beneath the eaves

Our faith will come by the hearin'
A whisper in the leaves
Listen Johanna, hear his voice
In the drone of the bees

He will never leave you
My much afraid
He waits patient
In our prayers unprayed.

10. NOBODY 'CEPT YOU

Nothin' 'round here to me that's sacred
'Cept you, yeah you
Nothin' 'round here to me that matters
'Cept you, yeah you

You're the one that reaches me
You're the one that I admire
Every time we meet together
I feel like I'm on fire
Nothin' matters to me
And there's nothin' I desire
'Cept you, yeah you

Nothin' 'round here I care to try for
'Cept you, yeah you
Got nothin' here to live or die for
'Cept you, yeah you

As a kid I'd hear it, yes
In the churches all the time
Make me feel so good inside
So peaceful, so sublime
Now nothin' does remind me
Of that old familiar chime
'Cept you, yeah you

Used to run in the cemetery
Dance and run and sing when I was a child
And it never seemed strange
Now I just pass mournfully by
That place where the bones of life are piled
I know something has changed
I'm a stranger here and no one sees me
'Cept you, yeah you

Nothin' anymore seems to please me
'Cept you, yeah you
Your love hypnotizes me
It holds me in its spell
Everything runs by me
Just like water from a well
Everybody wants my attention
Everybody's got something to sell
'Cept you, yeah you
I'm in love with you

I'm in love with you.

11. STRAW FOOT

I guess you didn't hear me
When I told you for the first time
Well, don't you worry
It won't be the last
All I need: a floorboard
And a wooden shoe
Step aside and let my lady through

Hey foot, straw foot
Low we lay 'em down
Hey foot, straw foot
Up and back around

See the high priest
He took my place
When the judge looks to me
He saw a son's face
Not gonna join you in
Your tower of babble, boy
Tired of that talkin'
I'm sick of that noise

Hey foot, straw foot
Low we lay 'em down
Hey foot, straw foot
Coverin' ground

I am not alone
And looks can be deceivin'
When we get down to it
You're talkin' when you should be leavin'
I've been to Nebraska
It reminded me of Spain
All the questions loaded
All my answers same

Hey foot, straw foot
Low we lay 'em down
Hey foot, straw foot
Coverin' ground

Let us not mince our words
Let's say it true this time
I need your forgiveness
Just like you need mine
Tell me how it is that
You don't want what He's given
It ain't no sin, son
To be forgiven

Hey foot, straw foot
Low we lay 'em down
Hey foot, straw foot
All over town.

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