Folker's Daily

Times are harder than ever before

You pay 'em one bill and they send you ten more

If you're a good man

I guess you understand

I've got these blues , I got 'em so damn bad

It seems like the luck I've had has all been bad

If you're a good man

I guess you understand

I tell ya one thing if troubles was gold

I'd have more money than my pockets got holes

If you're a good man

I guess you understand

I got to the store and I can't afford no bread

The tanks half empty and I ain't got no cigarettes

If you're a good man

I guess you understand

Lord tell me, Lord tell me why

So many good people have to lay down and die

If you're a good man

I guess you understand

(c) 2016

Matt Cox/ASCAP 

I'm driftin' and driftin'

Lordy, I'm fadin' fast (x2)

I keep drinking my fool-head off

Trying to forget my past

I'm a nighttime drifter

I can't stand no day (x2)

I feel my best around midnight

In the morning I'm on my way

Tell me, tell me

You no I can't stand no lie (x2)

Are you gonna be my sugar babe

Are you gonna pass me by

I'm driftin' and driftin' 

Lordy, I'm fadin' fast (x2)

I keep drinking my fool-head off

Trying to forget my past

When I first met you

You were just a baby

And your mama raised you 

That first year on her own

And though it seemed

The whole town knew her story

I had never met a woman so alone

My grandpa told me 

After my last carwreck

He said, "Son there must be a reason you ain't dead"

But to tell you the truth 

Before I met you girl

I'm not sure I ever believed 

A word that he said

They say that everything here happens for a reason

But I don't care if it don't mean a thing

You'll always be your daddy's little princess

And you'll always be my little drama queen

They say that it's insane

How quick you grow up

And one day we'll wake up and you'll be gone

And someday you might go

Looking for some answers 

Well, I hope that you find 

We never did you wrong

Sweetheart I'm sure glad I met your mama

And I don't regret giving her that diamond ring

You'll always be your daddy's little princess

And you'll always be my little drama queen

(c) 2016

Matt Cox/ASCAP 

Trouble all over this world

Every town, every country

Every boy, every girl

I see trouble all over this world

I'm seeing trouble all over this world

Every town, every country

Every boy, every girl

Six white horses following me

Have come to take me

Back home to Galilee

I hear six white horses following me

They've come to take me

Back home to Galilee

Please, no mister, don't you bury me

You can take my ashes

To the deep blue sea

Please, no mister, don't you bury me

You can take my ashes

Scatter them in a dirty sea

Trouble all over this world

Every town, every country 

Every boy, every girl

I see trouble all over this world

I'm seeing trouble all ove this world

Every town, every country 

Every boy, every girl

(c) 2016

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I was a rover 

By land, or by sea

Until a good woman's love

Mad a new man out of me

Life had no meaning

It was so incomplete

until a good woman's love

Put me back on my feet

Instead of roaming

I go home in the evening

And she's waiting there

And I know, no matter what happens

She'll always care

When the night falls

And the moon shines above

I'm a man with a dream 

And a good woman's love

(c) 2016

CY Coben/Delmore Music

You're sweet like a river

Hot like a desert sun (x2)

You said that you loved me 

Child you're not the only one

Goin' down to the river

Lord, I'm gonna jump right in (x2)

When I get down to the river 

Gonna see if all my troubles can swim

I'm low like the devil

I'm high like an old oak tree (x2)

If you try to get closer 

You'll just get farther from me

Sometimes I wonder

If the good Lord will save my soul (x2)

The sky up above me

Is blacker than a chunk of coal

I love my good gal

You know I love my whiskey rye (x2)

Never treat me low-down

Love me till I'm satisfied 

(c) 2016

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I hear the thunder rolling across the mountains

And it chills me to my bones

The sound takes me back to my dear daddy

And the words that he said when I first left home

And the words that he said when I first left home

He said, "Life can get a little rocky sometimes"

"You may find yourself lost and all alone"

"But remember this, my son, as long as I'm here

"You will always have a happy home"

"You will always have a happy home"

But, I've always had a mind for rambling

Ever since I was a little kid

When my head starts to wandering and I want to go traveling

To all the little places that I haven't been 

To all the little places that I haven't been

(c) 2016

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Moments are flying

Like a jet airplane

I can see them coming

Then they're gone again

Town by town and day to day

We're saving for our great escape

Peaches and honey 

Don't taste the same

With a dirty spoon 

Without a pretty name

Bullshit and money still got the same ring

If you shine it like a diamond

Or flush it down the drain

We gotta go

We can't stay

There's gonna be a time

There'll be a day

When we gotta go

I know it's hard to say

Just saving for our great escape

Some lack the courage

For to take the blame

They roll the dice like

It's a Milton Bradley game

While the high Sierra's are going up in flames

And the world we've made is a crying shame

We gotta go

We can't stay 

There's gonna be a time

There'll be a day

When we gotta go

I know it's hard to say

Just saving for our great escape

Our great escape

Our great escape

Our great escape

(c) 2016

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I was born in Hamburg

Winter 1981

My Grandpa was a preacher

I am a son of his son

I never knew the other side

They died before I could shoot the gun

Just a young boy, wild and free to chase the wind

I wish I was back in them ol' woods again

Where the trees touch the heavens 

Where the river took me in

Take me home

Oh, my Country Rose 

Where I can play

Where nobody goes

Lay me down, honey-o

In a cottonwood grove

Where I can sleep

Where nobody knows

I was raised in a small town

And I'll die in one too

I ain't ever seen a city that had a sky as blue

And I want to see the stars a-shining

From my back porch in town

Take me home

Oh, my Country Rose

Where I can play

Where nobody goes

Lay me down, honey-o

In a cottonwood grove

Where I can sleep

Where nobody knows

Things are changing so fast

Wherever I go

From the sidewalks to the buildings

From my head to my toes

Sometimes I wish I never got that itch to roam

Take me home

Oh, my Country Rose

Where I can play

Where nobody goes

Lay me down, honey-o

In a cottonwood grove

Where I can sleep

Where nobody knows

Nobody knows

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

It was early in the springtime

When the snow thawed 

In the high peaks of Montana

And they rushed to release the water

That was threatening to tear down

Gavin's Point Dam

They evacuated the flood plains

And sandbagged all the highways 

And prayed they'd hold

But you can't defend against nature

And some old levees just can't do 

As they're told

Now that black muddy river's 

Rolling South like a runaway freight

And they say come Hell or high-water

This old heartland 

Ain't ever gonna look the same

There ain't no rhyme or reason

You can't hang a big tag upon the answer

While young folks of the future 

Have to work and fight

For their Social Security

And the forest once full of trees

And all the mountains, and the birds, and the bees

They've all got cancer

And the leaders we depend on

Turn around and point their fingers

At you and me

I can't predict the weather

But Lordy I sure feel a change

God bless my weary soul

I'm just a poor boy 

I can't change a God damn thing

Now it's September

And that river's turned the farmland into sand

I always will remember

The story I saw and the picture 

The one I recall from 

Gavin's Point Dam

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I caught my first glimpse in a Benson bar

Didn't make since, look how we've come so far

But every time it seems like we're getting close

You run and act like you've just seen a ghost

They say less is more baby, more or less

Well, I'm a simple man

Honey, I confess

Like a new born tugging at your breast

Will steal the heartache right out from your chest

Timber! The sky is falling down

And the stars are swimming 

Looks like they're gonna drown

Well, these kind of tears

They can flood the whole world

And they all fall from the heart

Of a Gainesville girl

They all fall from the heart

Of a Gainesville girl

Hush now darlin', don't shed a word

And nevermind what you may have heard

I want to take a drive and let the tank run dry

Until there ain't another tear in your eye

Timber! The sky is falling down

And the stars are swimming 

Looks like they're gonna drown

Well, these kind of tears

They can flood the whole world

And they all fall from the heart

Of a Gainesville girl

They all fall from the heart

Of a Gainesville girl

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Gutters are overflowing 

Skies are wet with rain

Fields are muddy, but the crops are happy

How could anyone complain?

How could anyone complain?

Kids they're all puddle jumpers

And the birds get a real fine bath

Garden's growing quicker than the Mississippi River

Big river, rising fast

Big river, rising fast

Oh-wee baby, I love your summer peaches

Lord, I got a feeling like they're ain't nothing sweeter 

I don't really mind if the sun don't shine, or

If the rain keeps pouring on down

It don't matter to me honey

If there ain't a nickel to my name

I ain't gonna do work today baby

I ain't gonna do a darn thing

I ain't gonna do a darn thing

Oh-wee baby, I love your summer peaches

Lord, I got a feeling like they're ain't nothing sweeter 

I don't really mind if the sun don't shine, or

If the rain keeps pouring on down

Some people like it better

When it's really hot and dry

But my baby she don't mind if it's cloudy

She's the apple of my eye

She's the apple of my eye

Oh-wee baby, I love your summer peaches

Lord, I got a feeling like they're ain't nothin' sweeter 

I don't really mind if the sun don't shine, or

If the rain keeps pouring on down

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Instrumental

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I know it's been a long time 

And I've been down on my luck

And I've been working

Trying to make a buck 

But tonight we're together 

I want to stay out late

I want to shake it up

Gravel in my blood

Tornado in my head

Snake in the cellar

Mosquito in my bed

Blue Dog is in the meadow

And the wild geese

Are in the shed

Ashes to ashes and dust to dust

I can see your face a-shining

As the daylight turns to dusk

Well, the river is still turning 

But now the sunset looks like rust

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I don't wanna go to work

I don't wanna scrub no floor

I don't wanna sweat in no kitchen

No, not from ten to four

Don't ya give me no orders

I ain't cookin' no more

This ol-darn day job

It's getting mighty old

Now don't you tell me winter's coming

I can feel the air getting cold

It makes me feel like sleeping

And not doing what I'm told

They say that money won't buy you love

It won't buy you forgiveness from the powers above

It's a sad situation

Some can't find enough

And some haven't got one penny

When push comes to shove

I'm pouring out my whiskey

I'm throwing out my cigs

I'm tired of this living

And the whole darn gig

I don't want no guarantees

I don't wan to make it big

I want to unpack my suitcase

And settle in from the ride

With my little lady and a new place to hide

It's smaller than your kitchen 

And it's whole-world wide

I just want you to know 

I want you to understand

I got love for you woman 

As strong as any man's 

And when we grow old 

And if the good Lord does allow

We'll smile and remember 

How we are now

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Baby's in the kitchen cooking

Breeze is humming through the blinds

Sun's coming up, there's a cloud in the sky

And I got a little something I want to get off my mind

So many people get lonesome when they hear the whippoorwill's cry

And sometime I'm so lonesome I just want to fly 

Well, little whippoorwill you know you're a friend of mine

Trouble down in the Gulf Coast

And trouble in the Middle-East 

Tell me honey, what's it say for you and me?

All the blood in the sand 

And oil in the deep blue sea

I want to walk down by the river and cast my little line

Where the fish are jumping in the evening light

And by the time the sun goes down 

They'll all be mine

Summertime in Nebraska 

Don't it make it feel alright?

Thunderstorms, sweet corn, 

The fourth of July

And we make the most -

Because the winter is always on time

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP 

There's a tabby sleeping

On a cut-out box by the door

In a lonely tavern 

The band plays their final chord

"Hey, bartender" 

"Do you think I could get another pour?"

It's a losing battle 

You run and hide behind bars

It's been a long time 

Still I wonder where you are

Your love was the sun

And now it's just a falling star

I've been chuckin' beer bottles, honey

I've been cursing the moon

For it's last call for lovers

Down at the Broken Heart Saloon

It's last call for lovers, and baby

It's my last call for you 

Now I toss and turn 

And I walk this floor

Staring out the window

Hoping you'll walk through the door

Deep in my heart I know 

That I could have done more

I've been chuckin' beer bottles, honey

I've been cursing the moon

For it's last call for lovers

Down at the Broken Heart Saloon

It's last call for lovers, and baby

It's my last call for you 

I remember the good old days

And darling we've had 'em all

But now that you're gone 

I'm wishing I'd have called

I don't know why I still hang these pictures on the wall

I've been chuckin' beer bottles, honey

I've been cursing the moon

For it's last call for lovers

Down at the Broken Heart Saloon

It's last call for lovers, and baby

It's my last call for you 

It's last call for lovers, and baby

It's my last call for you 

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Hit heavy on the drum 

Listen closely to the hum

Until Heaven, I'm on the run

Your temptation is like a gun

I've been taking my sweet time

Ain't ever making up my mind

True religion is hard to find

I used to see, but now I'm blind

So, come along and take a ride

You know I need you by my side

There's a battle we all must fight 

From the devil, you cannot hide

Hit heavy on the drum 

Listen closely to the hum

Until Heaven, I'm on the run

Your temptation is like a gun

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

The killed the coyote in the blink of an eye

Now he don't run, and he don't fly

They left his bones for the desert to dry

Still deep in the night you can hear his cry

Singing, who'll set it straight and send the Indians home

Who will un-pave the roads where the buffalo roamed

Would you march to see that your true colors were shown

If you hadn't got no place to call your own

Well, it's hard luck

It's hard luck Cherokee

And I'm your native son 

And so is he

Just one little lesson 

For your children to teach

And it's hard luck

It's hard luck Cherokee

Would you curse the day and say they did you wrong

If you couldn't hear the beating of the drum

Or remember the words to your Daddy's song

And it's sure as you're born, boy as soon as you're gone

Well, it's hard luck

It's hard luck Cherokee

And I'm your native son 

And so is he

Just one little lesson 

For your children to teach

And it's hard luck

It's hard luck Cherokee

Have you ever heard the sound of a grown mans cry

To the sound of a hundred politicians lies

Their empty promises buried in the sand

You wonder just how long they'll keep us from our land

And now it's five generations of reservations and chains

For the sake of progress and the sake of change

But that coyote he still runs in me

And that coyote sings it's hard luck Cherokee

Well, it's hard luck

It's hard luck Cherokee

And I'm your native son 

And so is he

Just one little lesson 

For your children to teach

And it's hard luck

It's hard luck Cherokee

(c) 2014

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I've been out of touch lately 

This old scene's getting so tired 

But tonight you're the only one for me, baby

And honey, if you don't mind

Oh, I'm ready

Oh, honey I'm ready

I'm for for you now, baby

Let's take it on home

We got ice cream in the cooler 

Hard liquor up on the shelf

I know I should get some rest 

But tonight I'm drinking to your health

Oh, I'm ready

Oh, honey I'm ready

I'm for for you now, baby

Let's take it on home

I can see it's getting late now

I can see you're watching the clock 

I know when I had too much, baby 

But sometimes it's hard to stop

Oh, I'm ready

Oh, honey I'm ready

I'm for for you now, baby

Let's take it on home

I can't stay here any longer

It's getting hard to breathe

I'm feeling a little uneasy

Getting weak down in my knees

Oh, I'm ready

Oh, honey I'm ready

I'm for for you now, baby

Let's take it on home

So, put your last dollar in the jukebox 

And settle up at the bar 

Sorry, ain't no kind of answer 

Baby, some day we'll have it all

Oh, I'm ready

Oh, honey I'm ready

I'm for for you now, baby

Let's take it on home

Take it on home

Take it on home 

Take it on home

(c) 2011

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I woke up early one morning 

Nowhere to go for to hang around

I was stuck down in County

For what the deputies found

In the truck of my car 

Lying dead was my Lenore

And underneath of the passenger seat

Was my loaded .44

They said, Son,

Where'd you get the gun?

Why'd you shoot her?

Why'd you run?

For this you know you will surely hang

And your rambling days are done

I said, Sir,

Well, I just heard

She'd been seen with another guy

In the bathroom of the bar last night

They say he was a friend of mine

But I didn't shoot when I saw her

I gave her a chance to lie

I didn't pull that trigger

Until she looked me in the eyes

And I went

Round, round, round

It only took three rounds

To take her 

Down, down, down 

And I shot that woman down

Round, round, round

It only took three rounds

To take her

Down, down, down 

And I shot that woman down

But the judge said 

Now boy, she didn't need to die

We all deserve a second chance

She was only twenty-five

But I know she'll be missed 

She was the sweetest girl around

And I couldn't dump her poor body

That's why I'm back in town

For I hope you'll have mercy on me 

I've confessed for all of my sins

If you kindly look the other way

You won't see me again

And I went

Round, round, round

It only took three rounds

To take her 

Down, down, down 

And I shot that woman down

Round, round, round

It only took three rounds

To take her

Down, down, down 

And I shot that woman down

But I can see her when I'm sleeping

Lord, she won't let me live it down 

I can still hear her calling out my name 

From six feet in the ground

(c) 2011

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I heard you bought the farm in Nashville

Well, I hope you found what you were looking for

Though I may often still think about you

I know you just don't need me anymore

But as sure as the July sun will shine upon us

As sure as the burdens that we all bare

It's hard to keep a steady hand rolling

When you won't let go of the dice

I hope that your new love treats you nice and proper

I hope he's filthy rich, and tall, and strong

I'm sure he has plenty more to offer

Than hand-me-down boots and worn out songs

But as sure as the July sun will shine upon us

As sure as the burdens that we all share

It may be just around the next corner

But there's always another way of getting there

I must admit, I too found another

And I'm much better off than I've ever been

I don't want these words to sound bitter

For I'm glad that we both found happiness

As sure as the July sun will shine upon us

As sure as the burdens that we all bare

It's hard to keep a good thing going

And it's just as hard to say goodbye 

(c) 2011

Matt Cox/ASCAP

I've seen Ungodly Creatures

Starve and kill their fellow man

For the color of their skin

For the religion they believe in 

But I was raised to fear Jesus

And respect my government 

Obey every command

You'll get sent up

Straight to heaven

But if I could have my own opinion

I'd shout it from the highest mountain

You can believe what you want to believe in 

I just don't trust some superstitions

I don't need to find salvation

No, I found my own, Lord

In the valleys and the canyons

In the fields and the shores

There's a beauty that's all around us

You don't really gotta look too hard

It's in the changing of the weather

It's in your very own backyard

Some places can get a little ugly

But I ain't gonna discriminate

Because, we should all help one another 

And make the Earth a better place

We'll give her a brand new name

And the attention that she deserves

And we'll all become one family

Brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers

(c) 2011 

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Hey there pretty mama 

Tell me what do you know?

I'm standing here right next to you 

And I'm feeling so alone

The winter's cold and slick honey

And summer's thick as thieves

And sometimes our love is angry 

And sometimes it weaves

But there ain't nowhere to hide 

When all your troubles are inside

And darling your my girl

And you know that I'm your guy 

But, if we had the time

Maggie would you call for me?

When it's dark as night

Tell me what do you see?

Are we running out of chances to go on?

You can wrestle through your memories

And wrestle through the weeds

Take your share of chances 

And do your share of deeds

But that monkey on your back 

It ain't cutting you no slack 

And it's hared to tell your future

When you don't know where your at

If we had the time

Maggie would you call for me?

When it's dark as night

Tell me what do you see?

Are we running out of chances to go on?

I can't think of any other place I'd rather be

I've seen better days and this might be the last I see

So kick off your shoes honey

And relax your little feet

I'll see you in the morning

It's been a long hard week 

(c) 2100

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Everything is changing just for the season

Faded colors and brief are the days

In the morning I must be leaving 

And the time we shared will soon fade away

Take me down to the station

Hurry put me on a train

This old town has got me feeling low down

And it looks like we've seen this one before

If I might not make it home tonight

Baby please don't you lock that door

I may be gone just for the weekend

I know I never have the words to say

But if you can give me just one good reason

I know somewhere baby I've got a mind to stay

Take me down to the station

Hurry put me on a train

This old town has got me feeling low down

And it looks like we've seen this one before

If I might not make it home tonight

Baby please don't you lock that door

There's no simple explanation 

For why we all do the things we all do

But there's no need for speculation

I know your heart is pure and true

Take me down to the station

Hurry put me on a train

This old town has got me feeling low down

And it looks like we've seen this one before

If I might not make it home tonight

Baby please don't you lock that door

Don't lock me out

(c) 2011

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Down in Lincoln County 

Back in 1883

They got William Bonney

For murder in the worst degree

Some say he was a hero

Just a vigilante man

Hotter than a pistol

Mean as a crocodile

Until he met sweet Pualita

Who nearly killed him with her smile

Before there was a verdict

He only had one request

Un beso mas de Paulita

There gonna hang me in the morning

Un beso mas de Paulita

The sun's coming fast

Billy spoke to the judge

He said what's gonna be my fine?

Fifty long years, or will you take my young life?

Then the judges gavel fell

And a chill crawled up his spine

Un beso mas de Paulita

There gonna hang me in the morning

Un beso mas de Paulita

The sun's coming fast

They finally got his number

And they're gonna make him pay for what he did

And so goes the legend of Pat Garrett and the Kid

He'll make a fine example

A man ain't nothing but a man

Then on that fateful morning when they go to hang the Kid 

Billy jumped the shotgun 

And Billy hit the skids

Some say he's still riding

Still looking for that kiss

Un beso mas de Paulita

There gonna hang me in the morning

Un beso mas de Paulita

The sun's coming fast

Un beso mas de Paulita

Un beso mas de Paulita

Give me one last kiss from Paulita

Lord, the sun's coming up fast

(c) 2011

Matt Cox/ASCAP 

I've travelled most of this country

Through cities and towns

And everywhere I've found

People putting other people down 

When I packed up my guitar

And headed south down for Austin

I didn't know just where I was going

Or how long I'd be gone

But something hit me that day

I knew I was right where I belonged

When I heard that radio playing

One of your favorite songs

It takes a certain kind of lover

It takes a certain kind of friend

To always be there for each other

To have a helping hand to lend

They're gonna keep on changing

The rules of the game

And I'm tired of just sitting here

Waiting on the rain

I kept mostly to myself

And studied my trade

I tried to make some sense of 

The bad choices I've made

From street corners to the big show

They try to take it all away

But don't pretend to be what you ain't

And understand what I say

They're gonna keep on changing

The rules of the game

Now I'm just sitting here singing

Waiting on the rain

If you take to drinking

You better steady your aim

Be careful of what you do

And don't shit on your name

If you're feeling like leaving

Go on and walk out the door

Just remember if you slip

And you come back for more

That a whole lot of lovin'

Is just a big waste of time

If I can't be in your dreams

And you can't live with mine

They're gonna keep on changing

The rules of the game

But I'll just keep on singing

Waiting on the rain

Yeah, I'll just be here singing

Waiting on the rain

(c) 2011

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Well, I've heard a million reasons, and most of them are true

That this hand that I'm gambling ain't gonna do

While you were taking your slow drag

You went from riches to rags

And you let yourself go

Let it get a hold on you

I don't understand baby

Why everything you do 

Feels so good 

And so cruel

You always take the high road

And look down with a frown 

You wish you were more involved 

But you can't get your feet on the ground

Well, everything changes

No, nothing stays the same

It's everyday reconstruction 

For everyone you've blamed 

I don't understand baby

Why everything you do 

Feels so good 

And so cruel

Well, I've heard a million reasons, and most of them are true

That this hand that I'm gambling ain't gonna do

(c) 2011

Matt Cox/ASCAP

Well, it's Christmastime at Pine Ridge

The Black Hills are white with snow

And I'm living in this old trailer 

With no blanket to throw

No blanket to throw

My darlin' she wrote a letter

Care of ol' St. Nick

Saying, My brother don't believe in you

But I know you exist

I know you exist

Well, it's Christmastime at Pine Ridge 

And the sky is dark and grey

There's lights on some of the buildings

But ain't nothin's changed

Ain't nothin's changed

I wish I had me a cadillac

Painted candy-apple red

And if I had me a stallion

I'd ride off this old rez

I'd ride off this old rez

Well, it's Christmastime at Pine Ridge

The Black Hills are white with snow

And I'm living in this old trailer

With no penny to throw

No penny to throw

(c) 2009

Matt Cox/ASCAP