Produced by Chris Haynes

Recorded at Avocet Studios, Shelburne,  MA (engineered by Mark Thayer)

And  Laurel Park Productions, Northampton, MA  (engineered by Dan Richardson)

Vocals, guitar – Dennis Caraher

Percussion  – Jeff Hinrichs and Jeff Levreault

Bass – Paul Kochanski

Guitar, dobro, mandolin – Jim Henry

Keyboards and accordion – Chris Haynes

Cello – Eric Roth

Vocal, fiddle – Tracy Grammer

Mastering – Dan Richardson

All songs written by Dennis Caraher

Lyrics

RADIO BOY

We’d see him ‘round town, he never looked clean
Always dressed the same
Couple years older, maybe seventeen,
None of us knew his name.

We called him Radio Boy, he never said a word
Always had the headphones on
We made fun but because he never heard
I never thought it was wrong.

Late one day I took a shortcut home
Saw him in an open field
His arms were raised, he was swayin’ slow.
I didn’t know how to feel.

Sun settin’ on Radio Boy
Shining in the light
Sun settin’ on Radio Boy.
I walked into the night.

Forty years later my brother died
I went home to leave.
We laid him down, I knew I wouldn’t cry
I knew where I had to be.

Walkin’ I wept where the sun went down
Gone was the open field
Radio Boy, I’m sorry, now,
I know how to feel.

Sun settin’ on Radio Boy
Shining in the light

Sun settin’ on Radio Boy.
I walk into the night.

IN THE RAIN

I saw the car drive up in the winter rain,
everything became a dream.
Two soldiers stepped to the Kansas mud,
my wife began to scream.

I said, “You can turn that car around
or better yet, stay and drown
in the rain.”

My boy came home in a bitter box,
I could still could feel him there.
A few thousand dollars is what we got,
I guess this deal is square.

We laid my boy in frozen ground,
the preacher spoke, I only heard the sound
of the rain.

I’m a soldier’s son, I did my time.
His time had come, next in line.
He died courageous, so they say
but that don’t take this rain away.

Weeks have gone, got to sow the crops,
comin’ up on May,
but why go on when it won’t stop?
It all gets washed away.

There’s always a cemetery in my head.
I wish they’d buried me instead
in the rain.

Jesus come down from your cross,
talk with me a while.
Come with me, we’ll take a walk
up the road a mile.

Kneel at this grave made of mud,
come and save me with your blood
of rain.

They say be proud, any father would.
They say don’t doubt the greater good.
He died courageous, so they say
but that don’t take this rain away.

My wife is gone down to Wichita,
lives with our daughter-in-law.
Twenty-four years we worked this farm,
I don’t miss her at all.

Sometimes I think I’ll get my gun,
have a drink, join my son
in the rain,
in the rain.

RIGHT HERE

I used to lie here
And when I couldn’t sleep
I used to cry here
And no one heard me weep

I cried for Mrs. Kennedy
Grieving full of grace
Wishing she had let us see
Tears upon her face
Right here.

I used to dream here
I’d see the world beyond
It used to seem here
They’d never know I’s gone

I’d listen to the distant whistle of a train
Calling with forgiveness calling my by name
Right here

I dreamed that away I’d steal
And sail those silver tracks
Then I took that train for real
I was never going back

But I return here
And lie upon this bed
What I’ve learned here
Never could be said.

Mothers are our mystery,
Father’s our heart
And as throughout our history
We end up at the start
Right here

SNAPDRAGONS

He was a farmer and he lived alone
She was a young girl who never left home
He’d stop by for coffee and say a few words
She never though he came by  to see her

He loved to go dancing when evening came on
They say he was graceful as a meadowlark’s song
And she loved to garden and down on her knees
She could raise flowers as pretty as she

And so began a fine romance
They stood in her garden, they began to dance.
Through snapdragons, irises, roses and violets,
Wonderfully waltzing, light as the breeze
Snapdragons, irises, under the skies above
Blue as the eyes of Tom and Marie

When they were married they didn’t have a lot
Money was scarce, trouble was not
From sunrise to sunset, they worked without end
Then they would get up and do it again.

And when they felt they could not go on
He’d come to her garden, take her in his arms.

Chorus.

Now every life passes no matter how strong
So he tipped his hat and then he was gone.
And snapdragons, irises said their goodbye to love
And the skies of Iowa started to rain.

She was taught to look strong but alone there were tears.
And that winter went on for three or four years.
How did she do it? Well, I’ll never learn.
Somehow she got through it and springtime returned.

And she raised up her children and she let them go
And sadness would fill her only mothers could know
And she raised up a garden as bright as the moon
And just like her flowers, she started to bloom.

And from time to time, she senses his glance
She stand in her garden, she begins to dance.

KINDERGARTNER IN LOVE

I was attracted to the first girl I knew
A kindergarten crush
I was struck Cupid so I called her stupid
And gave her half of my lunch

When she threw it at me I was never so happy
And so I gave her a shove.
She was all that I wanted I was in Nirvana
A kindergartner in love.

By early October she threw me over
Became my first ex
Now she live in New Jersey
She’s s Sister of Mercy
But I ain’t over her yet.

Kindergartner in love.

I had many a crush how I loved the rush
About as good as it gets.
There was Annie and Iris, Johny Unitas
But best of all was Annette

But they decided on unrequited
My heart was broken so much
I was a prepubescent really messed up
Kindergartner in love.

“Can we just be friends?” I heard time and again
“I’ve fallen for another,
I like you sure but you’re immature
Like my 5 year old brother”

Kindergartner in love.

Belladonna, margarita, marijuana
They could never touch
The sweet sensation of infatuation
Kindergartner in love.

But some girls married me and that led to therapy
I found I could not commit
I kept getting crushes on somebody luscious
I followed “I do” with “I quit”.

After boxes of tissues, I worked through issues
Still remained fucked up
Why did I have to be a sociopathically
Kindergartner in love?

I got a new girlfriend now, things are workin’ out
Though she’s got her stuff.
She’s 55 but 5 inside
We’re kindergartners in love

WAKE UP WITH YOU

Well it’s been two weeks, it’s been too long
Since we talked at all
This motel’s cheap, I can’t sleep
I can hear right through the wall

Well I listen to the lovin’
I long to hold you close
But it’s later on, at the break of dawn
when I miss you the most

I wanta wake up with you in our bed
I’m going crazy for you, so let’s forgive and forget
Honey I can’t take it, goin’ out of my head for you
So let me make up with you
And let me wake up with you
In our bed

Every time we called it quits
we gave it one more try
but this time you say this is it
and then you tell me why

Well I listen to the reasons
I think that I agree
But then the mornin’ starts and a broken heart
Is my only company

Chorus

I want to wake up with you in my arms
Stay under cover for the whole day long
Makin’ love makin’ up
make a day of wakin’ up and then

We’re gonna go out tonight party so much
Spend all our money make the juke box jump
Makin’ up makin’ out
Makin’ every minute count again

Well we’ve come this far, tried too hard
To give up on us now
Let the lawyers wait, they’ll just say
“Forget your wedding vows”

So listen to me honey
Let’s give it one more try
Baby let’s do somethin’ cause I miss your lovin’
And now here comes the night.

Chorus

PICTURE ON THE FRIDGE

My baby and me been together for three
Years or so but it appears as though
She’s gonna throw me over ‘cause I just can’t show her
The kind of attention she’s intent on

She said, “I’ve had enough, I’m out the door
To get my love you gotta give a little more.”

She said, “When you kiss me, ya just don’t mean it
Unless you been readin’ Victoria’s Secret
You never send flowers, never send sweets
We sit for hours and watch TV”

I said what you say baby maybe makes sense
But I got to raise this in my defense.

I got your picture on the frigerator, that’s a big deal
That’s a pretty good indicator of the way I feel
I’m not a good communicator but baby don’t quit
So don’t say “See ya later”, honey, you’re it.

Can’t ya see baby what ya mean,
Your above my mama and my softball team.

Picture on the frigerator, picture on the fridge

It’s just the right height, right in the middle
In the line of sight when I need a little bit of
Late night leftovers that you cooked
I lick my lips and love the way you look

You’re in my heart when you’re not here
There you are when I get another beer.

I got your picture on the frigerator, that’s a big deal
That’s a pretty good indicator of the way I feel
I’m not a good communicator but baby don’t quit
So don’t say “See ya later”, honey, you’re it.

I think of you, baby when I wake
When I get the milk for my Frosted Flakes,

Picture on the frigerator, picture on the fridge

She said you got to be kiddin’ this is such a no go
You think you’re committed ‘cause you got my photo
So she went into my kitchen and found her likeness
No longer is her picture on my appliance

Now I’m getting used to bein’ alone
But I get too blue when I eat at home.

I got your picture on the frigerator, that’s a big deal
That’s a pretty good indicator of the way I feel
I’m not a good communicator but baby don’t quit
So don’t say “See ya later”, honey, you’re it

When I get a piece of left over pizza
I think of you, just want to eat ya
Picture on the frigerator, picture on the fridge

GONNA BE A COWBOY

When I was young, people asked of me
“When you grow up, what do you want to be?”
I was taught to be honest, so I told ‘em the truth,
“What I want to be is not like you!”

To have me an office don’t seem that hot
Traffic and bosses, I’d rather not
I got one dream only, it may sound strange,
I just want a pony to ride on the range

Yippee ti yi yo, yippee ti yi yay
Yippee ti yi yo
It’s all I can say
Hey everybody, you know what?
Gonna be a cowboy when I grow up
Gonna be a cowboy when I grow up

Good thing for me I had imagination
It taught me to leave civilization
And I got me a pony and I called him Red
We never was lonely, we never went to bed

We’d ride through the night, under the stars
Life was all right, no TV, no cars
We’d ride into town, bad guys are there
We’d chase ‘em around, Boy, they was scared.

Chorus

Then one night all the cattle stampeded
Only me and Red could do what was needed
We rounded ‘em up, it was easy as nothin’
Then we was heroes, aw shucks, then there was huggin’

My parents said it’d be for the best
If I left Red, came back from the west
I was never so blue when we said goodbye
Guess ya never knew cowboys could cry

My tears have dried, I’ve hung up my spurs
Now I’m a grown up guy and I go to work
I earn my pay but sometimes instead
I drift away, I’m riding on Red

My boss comes in and says,
“Where’s that report?”
I say “I don’t know ma’am,
I been a ridin’ my horse!”

Chorus

WE NEED THE RAIN

Rain, fallin’ in my head
Rain, fallin’ in our bed
I hate wakin’ up to the gray of dawn
I hate facin’ up that today you’re gone

Rain, fallin’ in my heart
Rain, fallin’ in my car
I used to drive better I could make my way
Now I’m waitin’ out the weather in the break down lane
But they say, we need the rain.

Rain so hard, I could build an ark
Sail away sail away
surely somewhere sunny days
remain

But all that two by two
Would only make me blue
I’m not gonna go to sea
I’ll let it wash on over me
Rain

Rain, never gonna stop
Rain, the only think I got
You can change it all if you just wouldn’t go
We could take a walk on and the sun would show
But you’ve heard the talk and I guess it’s so
What they say
We need the rain.

WITHOUT YOU

One summer day when you were four,
you looked into my eyes
And asked if you were never born
what would the world be like?

Without you, without you

No laughter and no lullabies,
I’d never know my name,
No sun or moon but otherwise
Pretty much the same

Without you, without you.
The alphabet would be so upset
Letters left without a clue.
I’d try for days to form a phrase
But the one word would be “blue”.

My doctor would check me over
And take my temperature
And say my heart is broken
And there’ll never be cure

Without you, without you

I’d listen to the radio just to check the weather
And hear the man sayin’, “Oh it’s gonna rain forever”,

Without you, without you.

The birds would sigh, forget to fly
And cry into their wings
But you’d return and again they’d learn
To sail the sky and sing.

I love laughter, I love lullabies,
I love everything I got
I love the love that’s in your eyes,
I love that I am not
Without you, without you

LOUISIANA SEA

The children are a swimmin’ in the Louisiana sea,
could it be this innocence used to be me?
My daddy brought me here before he left,
as close to heaven I will ever get
My story’s not unusual and you’ll hear it again,
just another broken boy with dreams of might-have-been
My son, they say, lives in New Orleans.
He’s got two boys I ain’t never seen.
When Jesus sees us hurtin’, he stays by our side
and never gives a burden a body can’t abide.
But Jesus, I believe you judged me wrong
‘cause I don’t see how I can carry on.
Sometimes I long for the sea.

Jesus, just let me be.
I’m sorry for the things I done.
I’m sorry for the things I done.
Jesus, just let me be.
The children are a sleepin’, there’s no one on the shore.
I wade into the water, I will swim for evermore.
I can see the lights of New Orleans
Jesus, just let me be.

ON OCCASION

The moon on occasion slips from view
Its heart aches from all that we do
Constellations soothe it s wounds
And the moon soon returns anew
Stars on occasion fall to the ground
Our wishes weigh on them tumbling down
The relief is brief and then they’re through
But the moon soon returns anew
It’s patience worn away
It breaks down for a day or two
It waits to deliver us
A sacred sliver of blue

It waits to deliver us
A sacred sliver above

But hope grows every evening
Soon it starts believing in love
Hearts on occasion break in two
It’s how they’re made, it’s what they do
We lose faith that we’ll get through
Then the moon soon returns anew
The moon soon returns anew