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Singing For My Life

by Greg Klyma

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1.
There are gray hairs in my beard, maybe now I’ll look my age For so long so many have said I look so young The aging that I’ve feared is just a turning of the page A lyric in a song I hadn’t sung I am singing for my life, singing for a wind that hasn’t blown Love will knock you cold, truth will cut you with its knife Everything you’ve ever learned was already known Anything you’ll ever learn is already known I was singing in a barroom to a crowd of broken hearts With the soft glows of the cell phones in their hands My mind drifted back to our room and the night things fell apart I tried to put it in a way they’d understand I was singing for my life, singing for a wind that hasn’t blown Love will knock you cold, truth will cut you with its knife Everything you’ve ever learned was already known Anything you’ll ever learn is already known I came to this big hearted calling everybody friend Playing music for a living is a dream Turns out not everything I’ve started goes the way that I had planned And yet I always end up right where I should be Singing for my life, singing for a wind that hasn’t blown Love will knock you cold, truth will cut you with its knife Everything I’ve ever learned was already known Anything I’ll ever learn is already known We’ve sent monkeys into space and children off to war We’ve made criminals the leaders of the lands Some people get a taste and they always need some more I have had about as much as I can stand And I’m singing for my life, singing for a wind that hasn’t blown Love will knock you cold, truth will cut you with its knife Everything you’ve ever learned was already known Anything you’ll ever learn is already known
2.
Some folks never seem to grow up, some folks grow up way too fast I’ve been movin’ at such a pace, couldn’t tell ya the first day from the last Left my home in search of somethin’ that I hope someday to find Clouds they follow where I walk, but still no silver linin’ Had a girl in Santa Fe, one night I knocked upon ‘er door When it opened up, I was face to face with a man I’d never seen before Grabbed my bag of things, left my weary heart behind In the next town I found another girl, but still no silver linin’ Take a simple situation Railroad it with complications Start to get that feelin’ like “I guess I should be goin’” Hit each town with good intentions, somehow everything gets messed But no one could tell me to my face that I ain’t always tried to give it my best Once I thought I might live forever, now I’m runnin’ out of time Somehow I fell in a rut Got a sick feelin’ in my gut Always clouds above me, but still no silver linin’
3.
Refugee 03:18
Written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell
4.
Lonely days, sleepless nights
Double crosses and hope to die
My darlin’ loves another
Why? Little darlin’, why? Blue heart, black river My darlin’ is gone Blue heart, black river I can’t forgive ‘er and I can’t go on alone Cold words, cold cold heart So cold I could see your breath Chilled me right to the bones Filled my nights with dreams of death Blue heart, black river My darlin’ is gone Blue heart, black river I can’t forgive ‘er and I can’t go on alone Standing here by the river banks I can hear your wicked lines They’re there like the hammer in my hands “There there, little darlin’, don’t you cry” Blue heart, black river My darlin’ is gone Blue heart, black river I can’t forgive ‘er and I can’t go on alone Red snow in New England River flows cold as ice I went down in it three times Lord, I only come up twice With a blue heart, black river My darlin’ is gone Blue heart, black river I can’t forgive ‘er and I can’t go on alone
5.
Lasting Love 03:22
Your first love was so sweet Lifted you right off your feet Never felt so complete Then it was gone You’re given one choice You’ve got to move on May your last love be a lasting love Took some time to recover Then you found another lover Hey, what a way to discover Life goes on You ask yourself “Is this the one?” May your last love be a lasting love So many nights alone Giving you time to work on yourself Done for yourself Never done Stories are told 
About someone to have and hold They say it’s more precious than gold They would know You can’t be in a hurry To take it slow May your last love be a lasting love
6.
Sixteen years, living in Boston Never saw her flowers bloom Ain’t it strange, ain’t it bad luck Pulled out of orbit each year at the end of June Things change, everyone knows Nights like silk, days of gold Hold your collar when the cold wind blows Things change, everyone knows Feels so alive, working in the garden Makes her livin’ these days in the living room Don’t need much, but something’s missing She’s hoping that change is coming soon Things change, everyone knows Nights like silk, days of gold Take care of your heart, hold onto your should Things changed, everyone knows Things change, everyone knows Down in the basement, old work bench Coffee can full of wires and screws Pours it out looking for The nuts and bolts to fix these blues Things change, everyone knows Nights like silk, days of gold Hold your collar when the cold wind blows Things change, everyone knows Things have changed, everyone knows
7.
Get My Fill 04:49
I’m gonna go down down where I first saw ‘er Gonna order up a cool drink of water, gonna
Drink it down down I don’t want no other And I’m hangin’ ‘round until I get my fill I never been out of old Oklahoma Gonna drive southwest hard lookin’ for my Ramona Gonna track ‘er down down I don’t want no other And I ain’t comin’ home until I get my fill ‘Cause I never had nothin’ short of nothin’ But I never wanted much anyway Sure I’ve been lonesome, but that’s beside the point I just felt it’s time that I had a change I’ve got a good job and sure sometimes the work is hard But I’ve been there seven months and I haven’t missed one day so far But I gotta go now, ya see, I’m lookin’ for my lover And I ain’t comin’ back until I get my fill ‘Cause I never had nothin’ short of nothin’ But I never wanted much anyway Sure I’ve been lonesome, but that’s beside the point I just felt it’s time that I had a change I never had nothin’ short of nothin’
8.
I was born in a city under a bluegrass moon
 Momma hummed mountain tunes
 Daddy strummed his Martin guitar 
I rolled in my sweet mother’s arms

 Ooh woo hoo, blue moon o’er an old factory
 You can’t see the stars for the lights of the city
 Lord, let me die in Kentucky Granddaddy moved north midway through the last century 
Momma tells he really loved me
 My heart swells when I think of the man 
Who baptized my feet with soil from our homeland

 Ooh woo hoo, blue moon o’er an old factory 
You can’t see the stars for the lights of the city
 Lord, let me die in Kentucky 

They worked to make other men wealthy, they paid union dues
 Till they died, now the work is gone, too
 I still cry on the ride to his grave 
I pray he finds peace in the Buckeye State

 Ooh woo hoo, blue moon o’er an old factory
 You can’t see the stars for the lights of the city
 Lord, let me die in Kentucky
9.
Jane 03:55
I walked 37 miles to lay down by your side 37 miles to lay down by your side 37 miles in the driving rain Just to lay down by your side again Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane For 32 miles, I did not have my hat For 32 miles, I did not have my hat I held my coat and I held my cane But my hat got took by the hurricane Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane For 26 miles, I was walking with a limp For 26 miles, I was walking with a limp That hurricane would not refrain The wind picked up and I lost my cane Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane For 19 miles, no coat, no shirt, no shoes For 19 miles, no coat, no shirt, no shoes I twisted my ankle and my knee got sprained That’s bound to happen when you hydroplane Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane For 11 miles, I’m certain I was numb For 11 of them miles I am quite certain I was numb I saw it comin’ like Abel saw Cain A stone got thrown at the back of my brain Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane For the last 2 miles, nothing but a smile For the last 2 miles, I was wearing nothing but a smile Until I got to your door and I had to explain What I was doing there to another man I ain’t complainin’, baby, I’m just sayin’ Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane Ya know you could’ve been a little nicer to me, Jane
10.
You make my coffee just right You keep my banjo in tune You make great conversation You make a great dance partner, too We're getting older, life's getting shorter I wanna spend my time with you You make my coffee just right You keep my banjo in tune   How did I get so lucky? I'd never lie to you.  I need you to know...   You make my coffee just right You keep my banjo in tune You take the cake, blue ribbon, first prize You make a great mix tape, too I love you all mornin', I love you all night That's right! and all afternoon You make my coffee just right

about

“Good morning,” he said. “Hey Jim, I’m having a bit of a crisis. Any chance you could be in Boston this Sunday and stick around through Wednesday?” There was a pause. “Greg, all I said was ‘Good morning.’”

Jim Whitford lives just south of Buffalo, NY. He said he’d get back to me after a morning walk with his wife.

In 2018, I was 47. I had notebooks filled with songs that no one would ever hear unless I got busy recording them. When I’d talk about my goal to record a bunch of albums and the urgency I felt about it, many people would respond, “You’re young. You’ve got time.” I’d think “Brian died at 22. Lydia was 28. We don’t have time. Time has us.”

I released 3 albums in 2019: FAKE SONGS was recorded through the summer and fall of 2018 mostly with Paul Dilley and Susan Cattaneo; MAYBE THE OCEAN was a band project with Paul, Susan, Andy Santospago, and Pat Dalton, captured in 3 sessions in early 2019; then, in one amazing 5 1/2 hour session in late July 2019 once again with my man Paul Dilley on bass, David Andrew Moore on drums and Duke Levine on guitar, we recorded the 8 songs that made up C&W.

Excited about what we’d accomplished and eager to work with the C&W lineup again, I scheduled a session with Dave Westner for April 20, 2020. That session got 2020ed, so to speak. We’d have to wait some time before we could gather again to record the next album.

In early summer of 2021, optimism and persistence won the day. Dilley, DAM, and Duke were all available. I booked September 13 and 14 at Woolly Mammoth with Westner engineering. The 2020 album was finally gonna get its due. I got together with Paul and David a couple of times that August and early September to rehearse the songs. I sent a recording of our final rehearsal to Duke.

Duke replied that he had received the recordings and would give ‘em a listen. In the same email, he asked if everyone on the session was vaccinated. I promised to check. When I got Paul’s response that he was not vaxed, I was distressed. After 17 months living mostly in quarantine, I didn't want to cancel again, but with the session scheduled just 6 days later, I needed…

Jim Whitford. If Jim could be in Boston, this would all work out. It might’ve been 15 minutes after I called when he texted: Relax, we’ll make it happen. I’ll call in a bit.

It’s not always how you hoped or thought they would, but friends and neighbors, things work out.

credits

released March 4, 2022

Greg Klyma - guitar, vocals, harmonica, tenor banjo
Duke Levine - guitar, mandola
Jeff Calder - B3, piano, Clavinet, Wurlitzer, Rhodes
Jim Whitford - acoustic & electric bass, pedal steel
David Andrew Moore - drums
Samantha Farrell - vocals on "Lasting Love"
Jonathan Byrd - vocals on "Bluegrass Moon"
Becky Hall - vocals on "Bluegrass Moon" & "Blue Heart, Black River"
Frank Drake - vocals on "Blue Heart, Black River"
Ryan Fitzsimmons - vocals on "Still No Silver Linin'" & "Jane"
Melanie Brulee - vocals on "You Keep My Banjo in Tune"
Eric Lee - fiddle on "Blue Heart, Black River" & "Get My Fill"
Dave Westner - recording and mixing, vocals on "Refugee" and percussion on "Jane"

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Greg Klyma Arlington, Massachusetts

American songwriter, Greg Klyma is a purveyor of old school country and rock music. Influences include Tom Petty, Steve Earle, Bon Scott-era AC/DC, and Willie Nelson. If lyrics and melody take center stage in your musical world, welcome home!

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