TWISTIN' IN THE WIND

Up on the Ridge

Roll Again

It's a Little Like Love

Twistin' in the Wind

Queen of Heaven

Sister soak the beans

I will lose my life

You're Workin' For The Man

Nacho Mama

Behind The Bamboo Shade

Gulf Coast Blues

If I Could Teach My Chihuahua To Sing

Up on the Ridge (Tornado Temple BMI)

Joe Ely



Up on the Ridge I seen a rider passin' by
Up on the Ridge I seen a rider passin' by
I heard thunder in the distance
I seen lightning in his eye

Up on the Ridge I gotta tangle with my fate
Up on the Ridge I gotta tangle with my fate
Details must be dealt with
before the hour gets too late

Up on the Ridge there's a highway headin' home
Where the ramblin' men must leave their sin
Up on the Ridge

Up on the Ridge there's a fire about to burn
Up on the Ridge there's a fire about to burn
When the sun sets on the Lowlands, only one of us will return

Up on the Ridge there's a highway headin' home
Where the ramblin' men must leave their sin
Up on the Ridge


Roll Again (Tornado Temple BMI)
Joe Ely



"Damn this sand," sang the rambler.
"Damn this hand," sang the gambler.
Nobody's satisfied
With the road they chose to ride
Oh Let it Go, Roll Again

Damn these caves sang the jailer
Damn these waves sang the sailor
Nobody's satisfied
With the road they chose to ride
Oh Let it Go, Roll Again

You get in the game,
You pay the price
You lay down your life
And roll the dice.
And if you roll 'snake-eyes', Roll Again.

"Damn temptation," sang the preacher.
"Damn frustration," sang the teacher.
Nobody's satisfied
With the road they chose to ride
Oh Let it Go, Roll Again

Damn this livin'," said the Sinner
Damn Forgivin', what's for dinner?"

You get in the game,
You pay the price
You lay down your life
And roll the dice.
And if you roll 'snake-eyes', Roll Again.


It's a Little Like Love (Tornado Temple BMI)
Joe Ely


Well I woke up wonderin'
'Bout what you said last night
When you wanted me to say in my own kind a way
What it was that our love was like

It's a little like a Daytime Drama
When the plot gets thick
You just never realized thru the turns and ties
that you was in the thick of it

It's a little like a Carousel
That's breakin' apart
And all the wild wild horses runnin ever which way 
Runnin all over your heart

It's a Little like everything
This crazy world's made of
It's a little like a feelin' when your heart is reelin'
It's A Little Like Love


I don't know if I'm strong enough
To even hold on tight
I don't know if I can keep my poor eyes open
Baby till I see the light

It's a little like a  Six O'Clock News
In the middle of your head
Both sides are a little hazy about which one's crazy
And what is better to be left unsaid

It's a little like a stock car race
You never stay in line
You just dodge flyin' steel and the rubber off the wheels
And try to make it to the finish line

It's a Little like everything
This crazy world's made of
It's a little like a feelin' when your heart is reelin'
It's A Little Like Love


I didn't buy no four week Course
I had to learn it on my own
Who ever wrote the book must've never took a look
At the seeds that they could have sown

It's a little like a thunderstorm
Lightnin' hail and rain
But when the clouds blow by there's a clear blue sky
To wash away all your pain

It's a little like a mountain climb
It's a long hard rise
If you make it up the hill then you know you will
See the sun on the other side

It's a Little like everything
This crazy world's made of
It's a little like a feelin' when your heart is reelin'
It's A Little Like Love


Twistin' in the Wind (Tornado Temple BMI)
Joe Ely



My heavy heart pounds hard tonight
Down this highway in the wind
The windshield wipers clean away
The tears I cry within
The Love I've thrown away, I know,
I'll never feel again...
And I, I'm just Twistin' in the Wind

Some one cut me down from here
I can't prove what don't exist
Did you feel the same as I?
Or was there something I might have missed?
I turned my back on everyone
Who wanted me to win
I needed you so bad, I guess
That's the way I was back then
Now I, I'm just Twistin' in the Wind

I believe I'll go down to the bridge
And watch the trains roll by
See the sparks fly from their wheels
Where the rocks and the cinders lie
The weight I feel inside tonight
Could put a freight train in a spin
And I, I'm just Twistin' in the Wind

Repeat Chorus

Love made a fool of me
At the gates of the  guillotine
I can't believe I heard the Truth
Comin' from  your answering machine
How did I become this broken man?
Was I too blind to bend?
Now I, I'm just Twistin' in the Wind
I, yi yi yi, I'm just Twistin' in the Wind

Some one cut me down from here
I been Hangin' here too long
Release me from the Binds of Love
I can't tell Right from Wrong


Queen of Heaven (Tornado Temple BMI,Lucky Nakeedress,BMI)
Joe Ely,Jo Carrol Pierce, TJ Nabors



She rides a horse named La Grimas
Through deserted railway stations,
Blood red lips through a cloud of dust,
In her quest for the Crucifixion.

She carries my heart in a red bandanna
She stole on a moonlit mountain
When the coal train rolls thru ol' Santa Anna
She's bathing in the town square fountain

She's the Queen of Heaven,
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Heroine of home town corridos.

Finder of your silver dime
Border radio Valentine.
Blue ribbon winner at the
South Plains Fair.
She's the Desert solitaire,

Would you like to dance a brand new dance?
It's called the New World Tango
It's leaving its bloody hand print
from Lima to Durango.

She's the Queen of Heaven,
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Heroine of home town corridos.

Finder of your silver dime
Border radio Valentine.
Blue ribbon winner at the
South Plains Fair.
She's the Desert solitaire,


Sister soak the beans (Tornado Temple BMI)
Joe Ely



	CHORUS
Sister, soak the beans 
I'll be comin Home to Chop the Onion
Mama, light the stove
It'll take a while for the cornbread to get done
I'll be comin' home
	I've had enough, I'm done with self-denial
	Can't you hear me  moan?
Set the table, I'll be there in a while

Workin' on the run
Burnin' cactus down on the Rio Grande 
No shade from the sun
Just wishin' I'd get done with shovelin' sand

Repeat CHORUS

I been gone so long
Callin' cattle on the Goodnight Lovin' Line
Can't you hear my song
The canteen's dry as the dust that's in my eyes

Repeat CHORUS

Last time I got stuck
In a Yankee city up above the Dixon Line
I run plum out of luck
Not an inch of enchalada could I find

I'll be comin' home
I've had enough, I'm done with self-denial
No Peace can I find
Set the table, I'll be there in a while



I will lose my life (Tornado Temple BMI)
Joe Ely



If I have to lose you, to lose you
I'll forever wonder why
For then I would refuse you, refuse you
And that would be a lie

But if I choose to love you, love you
I will lose my life
And all the stars above you, above you
Will forever lose their shine

I know it's wrong,
I been hurtin' much too long
Friends say I've changed
They see that I'm insane

If I have to lose you, to lose you
I'll forever wonder why
For then I would refuse you, refuse you
And that would be a lie

But if I choose to love you, love you
I will lose my life
And all the stars above you, above you
Will forever lose their shine

Where can I turn?
I broke faith, I never learned
If you stay behind
I will lose my mind

	Repeat Chorus



You're Workin' For The Man (Tornado Temple BMI)
Joe Ely



 I been Workin' all my life tryin' to beat the Company Clock
In a Louisiana gravel pit, breakin' up rock
My baby's had enough, she's packin' up and leavin'
She says you're workin' for the man and you ain't breakin' even
Workin' for the man and you ain't breakin' even

Jackhammer Jimmy said to Shallowwater Slim
If you see Doctor Danny then you better talk to him
Life's too short to be sittin' round grievin'
You're Workin' For The Man And You Ain't Breakin' Even
Workin' For The Man And You Ain't Breakin' Even

Breakin up Rock
Breakin up Rock
Working for the Man on the Company Clock
Breakin up Rock got Everyone belivin'
You're Workin' For The Man And You Ain't Breakin' Even

My daddy tried to tell me when I was just a kid
Don't work in the pit like your poor ol' daddy did
Somedays you sit and wonder what it is that you're achievin'
You're Workin' For The Man And You Ain't Breakin' Even
Workin' For The Man And You Ain't Breakin' Even

Breakin up Rock
Breakin up Rock
Working for the Man on the Company Clock
Breakin up Rock got Everyone belivin'
You're Workin' For The Man And You Ain't Breakin' Even



Nacho Mama (Tornado Temple BMI)
Joe Ely



The doors flew back and in they came
A tough bunch of cowboys, thirsty
They said to the waitress, "Honey what's your name?"
"And Mama, won'cha bring us whiskey?"
The waitress froze dead in her tracks
Her eyes rolled in her head
No one took a single breath
When she turned to them and said...

She said, "I'm Na'cho Mama !"
"Na'cho Mama !"
"I'm Na'cho Mama, Na'cho Girl, I didn't bring you into this world!
"I'm Na'cho Mama !"

The wild bunch rode on down the line
To some cafe on the Pedernales
They said to the waitress, "Honey, you're lookin' fine,"
"And Mama, won'cha bring us tamales?"
The waitress raised her fly swatter high
Her new tattoo did show
It was Napoleon with a big black eye
She was lettin' every body know...

She said, "I'm Na'cho Mama !"
"Na'cho Mama !"
"I'm Na'cho Mama, Na'cho Girl, I didn't bring you into this world!
"I'm Na'cho Mama !"

The cowboys rode for twenty miles
Sidesaddle to their saddlebags
They crossed their legs and laughed all night
You see, the wild bunch was in drag...

They sang, "I'm Na'cho Mama !"
"Na'cho Mama !"
"I'm Na'cho Mama, Na'cho Girl, I didn't bring you into this world!
"I'm Na'cho Mama !"
Na'cho Mama, Na'cho Girl, I didn't bring you into this world!
"I'm Na'cho Mama !"
"I'm Na'cho Mama !"
"I'm Na'cho Mama !"



Behind The Bamboo Shade (Eiffel Tower Music BMI)
Joe Ely



I'm going down to some blue border town
Where the Ranchero Radios play
My life is a jangle of too many tangles
I know that I must get away

My past is behind me, I can't let them find me
I know there must be a place
Where cheap Christmas lights shine all day and night
That's where I'm headed
Out where the day meets the shade

I only came for a holiday to sit in the Mexican wind
I only came for the whiskey, but suddenly she walked in
She wore a dress made of lace, 
And the light on her face
I felt the room start to shake
On a Black Spanish Love Seat Behind the Bamboo Shade...

I only came for the sun but I wound up with the moon and the stars
When her eyes met mine, the room filled with Spanish guitars
The kerosene in my blood
Came on like a flood
As I stood to take her away
To a Black Spanish Love Seat Behind the Bamboo Shade...

On a Black Spanish Love Seat Behind the Bamboo Shade
With the skeletons dancing on the eve of the Day of the Dead
I reached out in the dark, 
Put my hand on her heart,
While the bows of the palm trees swayed
On a Black Spanish Love Seat Behind the Bamboo Shade
   
I woke up in a sweat, my legs feeling too weak to stand
There's a pain in my back and not a bit of grip in my hands
A flash of steel in the night 
Left me no time to write
An epitaph to leave on my grave
The church bells rang on a Love Seat Behind the Bamboo Shade
   
On a Black Spanish Love Seat Behind the Bamboo Shade
With the skeletons dancing on the eve of the Day of the Dead
I reached out in the dark, 
Put my hand on her heart,
While the bows of the palm trees swayed
On a Black Spanish Love Seat Behind the Bamboo Shade



Gulf Coast Blues (Tornado Temple BMI)
Joe Ely



Walkin' on the shore
Feelin' mighty bad
These have been the worst
Ol' blues I ever had
  So far
    Since you've gone
      So far...

Clouds around my brain
How can I drain
These Gulf Coast Blues away

Talkin' to myself
Tellin' me lies
Wonderin' if the tide
Will ever rise
  Again
    Since you've gone
      Again...

Clouds around my brain
How can I drain
These Gulf Coast Blues away

Ships a comin' in
Fog around the shore
Wonderin' if you'll be
Waitin' at my door
  Tonight
    Oh Lord
      Tonight...

Clouds around my brain
How can I drain
These Gulf Coast Blues away

IF Love is an Ocean where all the Rivers End
Blues must be the feelin' while you're waitin' for the Wind



If I Could Teach My Chihuahua To Sing (Tornado Temple BMI,Gracey-Rhodes Music/Irving Music BMI)
Joe Ely / Kimmie Rhodes / Gabe Rhodes



O weary me
I'm broke as a man can be
My bills are all due, I got holes in my shoe
Bill collectors, they won't let me sleep 

If I Could Teach My Chihuahua To Sing
I could make cash registers ring
What a sight to behold her, she could sit on my shoulder
And whimper in harmony

If I Could Teach My Chihuahua To Sing
What a wonderful world it would be
I could take her to the border and teach her how to order
Margaritas and Fajitas Senoritas would bring

The circus is coming to town
The telephone lines are down
While the tight rope they're stretchin', my puppy is fetchin',
The tin cans all scattered around...

If I Could Teach My Chihuahua To Sing
The whole would live in peace
Instead of them fightin', everyone would be writin'
Love letters to Senators and Police

If I Could Teach My Chihuahua To Sing
What brave  new world it would be
I could take her to China, on a big Jet Airliner
And Bark in the Park 'till the Freedom Bells Ring

If I Could Teach My Chihuahua To Sing
There'd be no more sorrow and grief
I could take her to the border and teach her how to order
Guacamole and Posole, and feel Holy and Free!