Album Booklet (with song publishing

On the Ropes
I’ve been making something out of nothing for a long time now
you might say I’m bluffing but I’m gonna make it work
somehow
if you think they’ve got me on the ropes
don’t you blink,
Honey here I go
I’ve been hoping lately that I’m dreaming and I’ll wake up soon
and looking all around me just for one thing I can call the truth
but if you see me heading for the door
just count to three
I’m coming back for more
it’s not time
I’m not tired
I’ve got everything I need to get me through the night
Let it burn, let it bleed
you don’t need to try so hard to make me feel alright
go on leave, go on home
it’s not your fight
I’ve made my mistakes you know I’ve paid a lot to feel this bad
it’s a thousand dollar hangover it ain’t even the worst I’ve had
but if you think I’m sitting out this dance
pour me one more drink, I’ve still got a ghost of a chance
might not be right but I’m sure
I might be a fool but I ain’t a kid no more
and I’ve lost it all before
I’m no stranger to the bar room floor
when I’m down for the count there’s a voice I can’t ignore
Blue Besides
Hey little angel
you say you don’t wanna fly
you wanna live and die with the rest of us
well there’s gonna be some changes
you’re gonna curse, you’re gonna lie
gonna sweat you’re gonna cry with the best of us
and you’ll forget the things you know
but it ain’t giving up, it’s letting go
There’s gonna be some empty
that’s a feeling way down deep inside that let’s us know that
we’re alive and hungry
you’ll start saving up your pennies
till you find out all that they can buy will save you for a little
while and fade
to nothing
but you’re not taking any chances
you’re looking for that easy answer
heck no, you didn’t get it right, but you can try again tonight
love ain’t ever black and white
it’s pink and gray and blue besides
pink and grey and blue besides
You’ve had more than you can handle
and it flickers like a candle right behind your eyes
That golden harp you’re playing
it was your ticket out of town
now you’re gonna lay it down there in the dust
You think you know what you’re saying
but do you really want to try
hang up that halo and get by with the rest of us?
Let those wings go to rust
Golden Child
Not hard to talk to, is she?
Yeah, she makes it easy
she looks like what you wanna hear
I used to need that from you
to make me feel like something special
standing back stage with a guitar and a beer
Now I don’t mind
if it takes a little time
when it comes to waiting I’ve been practicing for years
I’ve been a stranger here before
I’ve been a soldier, I’ve been the war
I’ve done my time on the wrong side of the door
I’ve been peaceful, I’ve been wild
I’ve been a golden child
I’ve been a lonely country mile
and an AM gospel choir crackling through the wires
don’t you touch that dial
Summer’s been a long time coming
feels like I’m losing something
I guess I’m gonna let it slide
I’m not hanging up my spurs
I’m just telling you I’ve learned
the price of winning ain’t worth all the lonely it buys
So I don’t mind
if it takes a little time
when it comes to heartache I have learned to let it ride
The Handbook
Sure, I like flowers, I like chocolate
I like a man with real deep pockets
I like to be wined and dined and danced
and there’s always something to be said for holding doors and
holding hands
and all the things that movies call romance
but do you know what I’d really like?
Is if you would just come here tonight
you don’t have to call first, you know that I’m at home
don’t give me time to think about it
change my mind or start to doubt it
and wonder if it’s right, there’s only one way we could know
Babe, you give me too much credit
if there’s a handbook I ain’t read it
all I know’s when we’re together my heart starts singing,
I’m gonna let’er
You don’t have to ask to kiss me
I like it when you taste like whiskey
makes me feel like I was fifteen
makes me wonder, couldn’t this be love?
I know your mama raised you right
to be respectful and polite
to wait your turn and take it on the chin
but my mama didn’t raise no fool
and there’s a time to play it cool
but when your ship is leaving, you’d better learn to swim
The Only Eyes
If there were a better way
to learn what I’ve learned
so nobody had to pay and no one got hurt
if there were an easier road
that wasn’t so crooked
Honey, I hope you know
I would have took it
but these are the only eyes that I have for looking at you
and they’ve seen some lonely nights with liars and lovers and
fools
but I kept them open, just hoping for someone to make them
less blue
and these are the eyes that followed the telephone wires
to come home to you
Now I want you to love me
but I wanna say when
and I wanna say how much
I wanna know how it ends
Cause I’ve grown so tired of watching the door
and all of these lines they serve to remind
I’ve been here before
Now these are the only eyes that I have for looking at you
and they may be lonely tonight but they’re catching the light
and they’re telling the truth
and I kept them open just hoping for someone to make them
less blue
these are the eyes that followed the telephone wires
to come home to you
Back Row
I was sitting in the church
you were yelling in the street
blood on your shirt and gravel in your knees
and I was alone
and you were afraid
you thought they couldn’t give you what need
I told you once that the truth is a song
maybe I’m wrong, maybe I just want to write it
but I’ve been so close I could smell her breath
like cinnamon and death, made me wonder what I’m fighting
Cause I’ve seen you in the back row, yeah I’ve seen you in the
back row
I’ve seen you with your eyes closed at the all night show when
you think that you can’t go home
and I know you don’t believe me
it’s not too late to wash your hands clean
I’ve seen you in your shirt sleeves with a beer on your knee
when the can sweats a circle on your jeans
There was a time I knew every face
now the whole damn town is painted black and grey
that don’t have to mean it was a fall from grace
but there are choices, choice must be made
Cause I’ve seen you in the back row, yeah I’ve seen you in the
back row
I’ve seen you breathing real slow when you just hope only God
knows where you’ve been
and I’ve seen you on the highway
thinking all the things you’d never say
and praying to the debt you can’t pay
give me one more day, give me one more day
Useless Memories
Holding onto broken dishes, birthday candles and their wishes
gathering dust on the window sill
Flowers dying on the front porch
faded as the dress you once wore
hanging in the closet still
You hear the back door swinging, same old record singing
feels like time is slowing down
And all these useless memories feel so warm and friendly
when they keep on coming ‘round
Does your key unlock the door?
Like it did all those years when your foot steps kissed this
floor
Do your fingers know the chords to every song you wrote here?
is that what you come back for?
Or did you just forget you don’t live here anymore
When you close your eyes it’s all true
all those little names he called you
how he held you when you cried
and now you’ve found some happiness
but you treat it like a guest
waiting on fate to change its mind
Like a trail of breadcrumbs leading back to where you come
from
yesterday will have its charms
but when evening’s falling
a lonely shadow’s calling
to take you from your baby’s arms
Piece of Heaven
Once I had a love I took for granted
thought that I could trade him for a song
now he’s gone and I’m alone I finally understand it,
he’s the one was leaving all along
So I thank God for all his lesser angels
here beside me in this bar tonight
‘cause flannel shirts and blue jeans
and the promises of strangers
make for a less blinding shade of white
once I had a little piece of heaven
all I’m trying to do is get it back
I’ve been saving up my pennies
and counting my blessings
who could ever blame me for that?
I never thought that love was worth the fight
now I’m pulling my punches
making up for lost time
The sun has set but I ain’t through with trying
I’m walking the straight and narrow
keeping under the street lights
Let’s Get Drunk
Sure I’ve heard the rumors, I know you’ve been hurt before
and I understand you don’t want girls like me hanging ‘round
your door
but I don’t believe the song you’re singing
when you’re telling me you’re all done with love
Baby we’re already drinking, so we might as well get drunk
It’s the truth I’ve been accused of running round and picking
fights
I’ve had some growing up to do but I think I’m ready to play
nice
and if the ship is really sinking
what’s the use in waiting til it’s sunk?
Baby we’re already drinking, so we might as well get drunk
Everybody’s gonna pick their poison
we’ve all got something we could lose
and if I’m gonna live with my choices I expect that I’ll regret
at least a few
So while the barroom floor is spinning
beneath the neon lights above
Baby we’re already drinking, so let’s get drunk
I wanna feel your arms around me I want your kisses on my
neck
and I don’t care much if tomorrow finds me wishing I was dead
my ears are already ringing
the smoke’s already filled my lungs
and Baby we’re already drinking so we might as well get drunk
500 Pieces
I’ve seen you down on Polk Street
talking trash and high on speed
they say you used to know how to bump and grind
now you’ve got too much on your mind
Like 500 pieces of your heart
500 arrows missed their mark
It took four strong men to take you
took the whole damn world to break you
now you’re living in an old hotel
cable TV and a patchwork quilt and there’s 500 pieces of your
mind
500 loves you left behind
Traveler of time and space
Oh, you’re such a pretty face
and it’s a shame your mother never knew
‘cause baby it ain’t hard to see
in the warm glow of the TV screen
you’re more than the mess they made of you
You’re trying to collect the pieces of
all the people that you like and love
maybe it ain’t too late
your little brother can still be saved from
500 pieces of your heart
500 arrows missed their mark
Baby it’s real clear to me in the bright light of the TV screen
You’re more than the mess they made of you
Ache
I take it easy, but I like you coming around
so stop in and see me when you’re on my side of town
I’ll wear a smile on my face
but when I see you walking away
Baby, I ache
I can’t seem to tell you but I want this feeling to last
as warm as the sunshine, as long as the shadows we cast
I’d never ask you to stay
Pride won’t allow it but all of the same
I ache
Baby, I break
When you’re near me, my heart starts racing
I can’t think clearly
my knees are shaking
when you bring a hand to my face
when you hold me and whisper my name
Baby, I ache
Hallelujah (written by Leonard Cohen)
Barmaid’s Blues
That’s alright Joe, don’t you cry no
let me pour you another glass of beer
sure the bar’s closed, but by now you oughta know
if you’ve got nowhere to go you can stay here
and we can talk about the better days when you always had a
card to play
and the piano and the poker games, they carried us away
that outlaw Jesse James
he was known to keep a spare ace
and he shot this place full of holes but he sure could tell a joke
Now all of the gunslingers got rings on their fingers
and they got the barroom girls home ironing their shirts
and I’ve got a feeling like I’m waiting on the last train home
it’s been a little slow
but it’s coming I know
Do you remember that oil man?
I probably should have married him
he always had an honest dime to spend
but he couldn’t dance
and I was never one to compromise
I’ve always been the stubborn kind
so when he rode out of town, I just laughed
and how the whiskey burned
and how the men did flirt
like the ponies tied outside
pawing at the dirt
I broke the years down, I turned ‘em into days
and one by one I danced ‘em all away
Now I serve’ em what they ask for
they got the money I’ll give something more
it still says welcome on the front door
we keep that old piano tuned
but when it’s time to close
it’s just you and me Joe
and the ghost of something great here in this room
produced by: Amanda Anne Platt and Tim Surrett
Recording Engineer: Van Atkins at Crossroads Studios, Arden, NC
Mixed and Mastered by: Van Atkins at Crossroads Studios,
Arden, NC
Photography: Leah Beilhart, leahbeilhart.com
Location: American Top Team Asheville, Chris Sawtelle, Arden NC
Graphic Design: Lynn O’Hara, Art & Design Den
Musicians:
Amanda Anne Platt ★ Lead Vocals, Harmony Vocals,
Acoustic Guitar
Matthew Smith ★ Pedal Steel, Stratocaster Guitar
Rick Cooper ★ Electric and Upright Bass
Josh Milligan ★ Drums and Percussion,
Harmony Vocals
Tal Taylor ★ Mandolin
Guests:
Jeff Collins ★ Piano
Jason Webb ★ B-3 Organ
Mark Platt ★ Harmonica
Artist relations: Ty Gilpin, [email protected],
(828) 684-3066 xt. 320
Radio Services: Al Moss, Almosspromotion.com, [email protected]
Booking: Mike Drudge, Class Act Entertainment, (615) 262-6886
Public Relations: Erin Scholze, Dreamspider Publicity, Dreamspider.net,
[email protected]
Music and lyrics: Amanda Anne Platt
Button Down Publishing/ASCAP, Windsor Forest Publishing/ASCAP
Except Hallelujah/written by Leonard Cohen/Sony ATV Songs/BMI
“The Handbook” features the lovely ladies of Sweet Claudette on vocals:
Dulci Ellenberger, Melissa Hyman, and Amber L. Sims
The Honeycutters would like to thank their wonderfully supportive
families ★ Everyone at Organic Records ★ WNCW ★ Toby the Van ★ Chris at
American Top Team Asheville, Arden, NC ★ and YOU.
★
★
★ ★
★
1. On the Ropes 3:16 ★ 2. Blue Besides 4:57 ★ 3. Golden Child 3:33 ★ 4. The Handbook 3:03
5. The Only Eyes 3:17 ★ 6. Back Row 4:42 ★ 7. Useless Memories 5:25 ★ 8. Piece of Heaven 4:04
9. Let’s Get Drunk 4:46 ★ 10. 500 Pieces 3:45 ★ 11. Ache 3:43 ★ 12. Hallelujah 8:03 ★ 13. Barmaid’s Blues 6:50
Great Music. No Boundaries.
Organic-Records.com
honeycutters.com
pg2016 Organic Records, a division of Crossroads Entertainment & Marketing, Inc.
Manufactured and Distributed by Crossroads Distribution, P.O. Box 829, Arden, NC 28704.
(828) 684-3066. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.
Made in U.S.A. Printed in the U.S.A.