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The Hands That Hold Us

by Nathan Barrow

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1.
Daddy's Girl 03:59
(Verse 1) I’m a daddy’s girl or at least I’d be if I knew where my daddy was ‘Cause he left mama when I was three and now it’s just the two of us Heard he took his guitar to play honky-tonk bars up and down the Georgia line Where the talk is cheap and the liquor is clean and the people pay you for your time (Verse 2) Mama made the best of a perfect mess and she worked hard to win our bread She said, “The Lord behaves in mysterious ways and I hope that that bastard’s dead” And when my friend’s ask, “Joan, where’s your daddy gone?” I have to fight the feelings back And I learned the hard way that even church folks will talk behind your back Yea they’ll talk behind your back (Chorus) O, I would walk a hundred miles to see his face And ask the questions that have shadowed all my days Like, “Why, why, why’d you have to go? And leave me here out on my own?” (Verse 3) Well, I love to sing more than any - thing, it’s a feeling like being free The one thing I got before daddy took off was his way with a melody I’d sing along to a Carter song and my mama would stop and sigh And all the pain and hurt, all the beauty and dirt, made sense for a little while It’d make sense for a little while (Chorus) O, I would walk a hundred miles to see his face And ask the questions that have shadowed all my days Like, “Are you lost out on the road? And will you ever come back home?” (Verse 4) Well, on the mountain here the people pay dear just to catch a little news It’s all wedding bells and market sales, “How’s the weather?” “When’s your baby due?” But then the word came round you were back in town for two nights, or maybe three You got a whole new life, a brand new wife and a girl who looks a little like me I heard she looks a little like me (Chorus) O, I would walk a hundred miles to see his face And ask the questions that have shadowed all my days So sing your sad and lonesome songs ‘Cause daddy’s little girl is gone
2.
(Verse 1) When I get a little money I'm gonna buy a bird that sings Of the things that I might say When you look at me that way I'm gonna buy us a bird that sings (Verse 2) When I get a little money I'm gonna buy a fishing boat But it's only an excuse Just to sit and talk with you I'm gonna buy us a fishing boat (Chorus) 'Cause you can't buy a tender whisper You can't sell a sad goodbye But I can buy the things that might keep you close to me And it's worth it just to have you by my side (Verse 3) When I get a little money I'm gonna buy a wishing well And we'll toss our pennies down 'Til our heyday comes around I'm gonna buy us a wishing well (Chorus) 'Cause you can't buy a tender whisper You can't sell a sad goodbye But I can buy the things that might keep you close to me And it's worth it just to have you by my side (Bridge) When I get a little money When I get a little more Well give it all away building missions in your name 'Cause after all that's all that money's really for (Chorus) 'Cause you can't buy a tender whisper You can't sell a sad goodbye But I can buy the things that might keep you close to me And it's worth it just to have you by my side When I get a little money When I get a little money
3.
(Verse 1) As far back as I remember I’ve had a hair-trigger temper I learned to settle scores with my two hands Mama tried to cure my fighting, sometimes praying, sometimes crying But you know I would not be a decent man (Verse 2) I lost a hand on a bad deal, I had to turn and walk on my heels While the man who won just laughed and called me green He was smoking out by the back door, he said, “Son, whaddya come back for?” And I drew the pistol tucked into my jeans (Chorus) Ring the bells of heaven, ring the bells of heaven O, let the bells of heaven ring Ring the bells of heaven, ring the bells of heaven O, those bells won’t ring for me (Verse 3) I shot him one, two, three times, dropped my piece beneath the moonlight I don’t worry ‘cause I know my prints are clean But I fear I’ve made a mistake, my friends all look at me strange And I fear deep down I’ve made an enemy (Chorus) Ring the bells of heaven, ring the bells of heaven O, let the bells of heaven ring Ring the bells of heaven, ring the bells of heaven O, those bells won’t ring for me (Verse 4) I went back to see my mother and her cheeks drained of their color I don’t know if she’d thought that I was deal And I told her ‘bout all that had gone down, but I spared her on some of the detail Of the man I was and the life that I now led I said mama you’ve got to help me the way that family would for family And she looked at me with tears all in her eyes She said, “Son, I’ve tried to help you, but now there’s only one thing that I can do” And that’s when I saw the flashing lights outside (Chorus) Ring the bells of heaven, ring the bells of heaven O, let the bells of heaven ring Ring the bells of heaven, ring the bells of heaven O, those bells won’t ring for me
4.
(Verse 1) It rained all spring till the crops were late and the river got so high Then the summer sun wouldn't let it rain, I remember it was dry Those were troubled days but they came and went like a hundred times before Papa did his best to make ends meet but the hard times owned his soul (Chorus) Now I'm going back to Avery Ridge, I guess I know the way It helps to know there's still a path that leads to yesterday And even though it's fifteen years since I've been on my own That old house on the dusty road has always been my home (Verse 2) We were country raised in a city world but to-day we hardly know Bout a way of life that used to be a long, long time ago All the countryside seems empty now and the farms are tumblin’ down There's an ageless dream in the rich, black dirt but the kids all moved to town (Chorus) Now I'm going back to Avery Ridge, I guess I know the way It helps to know there's still a path that leads to yesterday And even though it's fifteen years since I've been on my own That old house on the dusty road has always been my home (Verse 3) I saw lightning flash in the summer night but the thunder never came It's a quiet sound that fills the air and my old world feels the same There's a whippoorwill singing on the breeze and I think I understand That there's no such thing as being poor when you grow up on the land (Chorus) Now I'm going back to Avery Ridge, I guess I know the way It helps to know there's still a path that leads to yesterday And even though it's fifteen years since I've been on my own That old house on the dusty road has always been my home That old house on the dusty road Will always been my home
5.
Mama's Hands 04:04
(Verse 1) I remember watching my mom work with the strength of the cavalry How her hair reflected sunlight when she washed the dishes in the sink But her hands are frail and soft now like they must've been at 17 'Cause minds falter and bodies fail But I can't help but think of mama's hands (Chorus) Mama's hands, hands that worked to love us Hands that held our prayers Hands that bathed and fed us Hands she thought were ugly Hands she said were plain But in mama's hands I was saved (Verse 2) It was sweet and lonely when the time to say goodbye Now my heart aches slowly like a rib torn from my side Like a smoldering candle, a bruised and broken reed In harder times they held me In harder times I'd sleep in mama's hands (Chorus) Mama's hands, hands that worked to love us Hands that held our prayers Hands that bathed and fed us Hands she thought were ugly Hands she said were plain But in mama's hands I was saved (Bridge) I forget who I am sometimes, I don't know how or why Some days I feel like praying and I'm not the praying kind And in the morning when I wake up You're the first thing to cross my mind And if I can't hold on to your hands I'll hold what's left behind (Verse 3) Mama's soul is rising like smoke from an ember glow Sometimes the only words we speak are in a language we don't know But I know the words of faith and I know the words of love And I know the truth is plain and I know the truth is tough As mama's hands (Chorus) Mama's hands, hands that worked to love us Hands that held our prayers Hands that bathed and fed us Hands she thought were ugly Hands she said were plain But in mama's hands I was names and I was raised In mama's hands I was saved

credits

released April 26, 2016

Nathan Barrow - vocals / guitars / mandolin / bass guitar / keys
Dave Elwert - drums & percussion
Jay Kirkpatrick - bass guitar

Mixed and mastered by Jay Kirkpatrick

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Nathan Barrow Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Nathan is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter rooted in Americana music. Recorded by country-rock legend Chris Hillman ("When I Get a Little Money," also produced by Tom Petty), Nathan's music blends character-driven storytelling with catchy melodies and infectious rhythms. ... more

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