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Free Country

by Ward Hayden & The Outliers

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    Artwork by Peter MacPhee

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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Middle Man 03:20
6.
All Gone Mad 02:51
7.
8.
Irregardless 02:44
9.
Indiana 03:57
10.

about

LYRICS:

1. Nothing To Do (For Real This Time)

What did independence ever get me except free time on my hands
The ability to be lonesome
The ability to feel lonesome

I tried and I travelled the world around
Where has it left me?
A stranger in my own town
A stranger in my own house

Who can’t put no money down
So I’ll just hang around
I can’t go home, I burned that bridge and spent my last dime
I’ve got nothing to do, for real this time

What did inspiration ever get me except more time by myself
While my degree sits on the shelf
And I pursue something else

This is what happens when you wake up and you realize it’s all an act
That the cool kids in the class
Were just actors in a mask

Who can’t put no money down
So I’ll just hang around
I can’t go home, I burned that bridge and spent my last dime
I’ve got nothing to do, for real this time
Nothing to do, for real this time

I’ve got nothing to do….not all dreams come true
But, at least I got off the starting line (at least I got off the starting line)

I’ve got nothing to do, for real this time

Can’t put no money down
So I’ll just hang around
I can’t go home, I burned that bridge and spent my last dime
I’ve got nothing to do, for real this time
Nothing to do, for real this time
Spent my money, my last dime
Nothing to do, for real this time

Nothing to do, for real this time
Nothing to do, for real this time
Nothing to do, for real this time
Nothing to do, for real this time

2. Shelly Johnson

Small town queen with small town dreams
Worked the Double R Diner since she was seventeen
All things good or evil or caught in between
The darkness of the woods, the lake washes clean

Buried in the timber of Washington state
Tangled webs are woven in this strange little place
Shelly met Leo one night at The Roadhouse
Then they met and Shelly dropped out

Now she’s got a whole lotta action right here at home
Got a boy named Bobby on the side when Leo’s on the road
The way Leo treats her I can’t understand
Shelly Johnson could sure use a better man
Shelly Johnson could sure use a better man

She works at the diner serving “damn good pies”
The whole town’s crawling with the FBI
Mysteries and murder, her friends are dying
For kids in this town it’s just a day in the life

Now she’s got a whole lotta problems at the end of the day
When Leo gets home he treats her like a maid
She washes the floor, he’s got a heavy hand
Shelly Johnson could sure use a better man
Shelly Johnson could sure use a better man

Owls screeching in the dead of the night
Shelly pulled the trigger and Leo took flight
Leo and Bobby go into a fight
Then a shot came through the window in the nick of time
Another shot came through the window in the nick of time

They say beautiful women cause men to do bad things
It’s not the fault of women, some men have a weakness
Muscle and mind are two very different things
That’s why small town queens rarely keep their kings

Now there’s not a whole lotta action at home on the couch
Bobby’s head is in the game and Leo’s checked out
I think Shelly Johnson could use a good plan
Shelly Johnson could sure use a better man
Shelly Johnson could sure use a better man
Shelly Johnson could sure use a better man
Shelly Johnson could sure use a better man

3. I’d Die For You

The world looks good, the world looks mean
A whole lot falls in between
It epitomizes dichotomy
It seems the truth no longer matters

People have become more extreme
Narrowed their focus to their own beliefs
Instead of listening to reason, theory reigns supreme
It seems the truth no longer matters

I’ve never been one to lay down and die
Or worship the lord with 45
Pray for forgiveness, search for the truth
Yeah, the truth is I’d die for you
Yeah, the truth is I’d die for you

Up is down, flat is round
Lies are truth and dumb profound
You only get into heaven when you get in the ground
It seems the truth no longer matter

Call me names, call me what you will
Call me a hack, but it’s paying the bills
God said to Moses “go out and kill”
It seems the truth no longer matters

I’ve never been one to lay down
Or worship the lord with a 45
Pray for forgiveness, search for the truth
Yeah, the truth is I’d die for you
Yeah ,the truth is I’d die for you

I would die a thousand times
Love is worth the sacrifice
Life isn’t like the movies
Truth ain’t just what you believe
No matter your perspective as fate would have it
We’ve got to share reality

The sky looks blue, the earth looks green
You can argue minutia, but won’t come out clean
Corporate Babylon took the American dream
It seems the truth should always mattered

I’ve never been one to lay down
Or worship the lord with 45
Pray for forgiveness, search for the truth
Yeah, the truth is I’d die for you
Yeah, the truth is I’d die for you
Oh, the truth is I’d die for you

4. Sometimes You Gotta Leave

There was a time when I was living to die
I ain’t just saying it, I was really trying

To live real fast, burn up into ash
I was looking wreck myself real bad

Get up in the morning one thing on my mind
Countin’ the minutes ‘til the time felt right

Then one by one, ‘til the job gets done
But most of the time just get depressed and dumb

Sometimes you gotta leave, sometimes you gotta leave
Sometimes you gotta leave, sometimes you gotta leave
The things you love
Leave your love
Leave your love

I feel grateful when I look back now
So many bad ways things could’ve played out
An angel on my shoulder, still pushing the boulder
Sisyphus was a real rock ‘n’ roller

Sometimes you gotta leave, sometimes you gotta leave
Sometimes you gotta leave, sometimes you gotta leave

Oh it’s a real drag to look back now, thought I was a comedian, but I was playing the clown
At times I let pride get in the way
All pride ever got me was a fist in the face

Sometimes you gotta leave, sometimes you gotta leave
Sometimes you gotta leave, sometimes you gotta leave
Sometimes you gotta leave, sometimes you gotta leave
Sometimes you gotta leave, Oh sometimes you gotta leave

5. Middle Man

(Tell ‘em Gene)

The moon hangs low tonight
Staring out the window at this old familiar sight
Memories might bring me to tears
I haven’t heard from my old friends in years

Always thought that growing up was a bad idea
Stress and strain, loss and pain and fear
Spending money to recapture what you had
Only appreciating moments once they’ve passed

So, I cut out the middle man
And I devised a plan
I’m not talking ‘bout some wacked out Neverland
Talking ‘bout doing what you want while you can

Life will pass you by if you don’t act fast
They say “the good things never last”
And the years rise up like a flood
And fill the Senate floor like Sumner’s blood

So, I cut out the middle man
I devised a plan
I’m not talking ‘bout some wacked out Neverland
Talking ‘bout doing what you want while you can
Talking ‘bout doing what I want while I can

6. All Gone Mad

I got up, got on the internet, said to myself “what a world”
Real live people in real life places posting into virtual
I don’t know you and you don’t know me, as long as it’s liked and shared
You can move a mountain or get fucked by a stranger
In two minutes nobody cares

It’s all gone mad
Is it all for nothing?
It’s all gone mad
Is it all for nothing?

Time keeps tickin’, the world keeps spinnin’
Time and people disappear
Hang onto the memory for a little while 
In the end it’s like they were never there
It’s a big ole world and everything in it, someday it’ll all be gone
I won’t be here and neither will you, what’s the point of soldiering on?

It’s gone mad
Is it all for nothing?
It’s all gone mad
Is it all for nothing?

Seriously I’m asking, ‘cause I’ve been thinking
That if you ain’t Babe Ruth and you ain’t Abe Lincoln
If you don’t die trying, you just get old
Til you ride down the road, with your blinker still blinkin’

I got up, got on the internet, said to myself “what a world”
Real live people in real life places posting into virtual
I don’t know you and you don’t know me, as long as it’s liked and shared
You can move a mountain or get fucked by a stranger
In two minutes nobody cares

All gone mad
And it’s all for nothing
Has it all gone mad?
Is it all for nothing?
It’s all gone mad
And it’s all for nothing
It’s all gone mad

7. Bad Time (To Quit Drinkin’)

Goodbye to my youth, so long farewell
Goodbye to my innocence, see you in hell
Goodbye to this town, goodbye to my love
Goodbye La Paloma, Goodbye to drugs

The moon hangs over wherever I am tonight
I’m so hungover I don’t think I’m alright
It’s all I can do to toss and to turn
I just want to go home, the bridge has been burned

But if it’s New Hampshire or New Year
I know for damn sure I don’t care
I’ve nowhere to go, I know I want to get outta here

I want to get outta here
Last night I drank my last beer
I picked a bad time
I picked a bad time
I picked a bad time….to quit drinkin’

Wherever I am I look up at the moon
And know it’s shining down on you while I’m singing this tune
The world keeps on spinning if we’re here of we’re gone
You know it’s tragic and beautiful how life just goes on

Life always running is good while it lasts
Blink your eyes, the future’s the past
Close your eyes for a while, go take a nap
Choose your time wisely, you don’t get it back

But if it’s New Hampshire or New Year
I know for damn sure I don’t care
I’ve nowhere to go, I know I want to get outta here

I want to get outta here and last night I drank my last beer
I picked a bad time
I picked a bad time
I picked a bad time….to quit drinkin’

I picked a bad time, I picked a bad time, I picked a bad time, I picked a bad time...to quit drinkin’

8. Irregardless

I’ve watching, been observing
I ain’t saying that I am pleased
I remember when I was younger
There was much more decency

Now it’s gone, been eroded
And all we got is the damn TV
Leading us from the path to glory
I don’t want this reality
I don’t want this reality

I remember a time and age
I would wake up and birds would sing
I could look at the ceiling for hours
Imagination doing anything

Then I got a phone, became a drone
Glued my eyes to a little screen
Shared our thoughts and we shared our feelings
No one’s liking what they’re seeing, no one’s liking what they’re seeing

Irregardless, you just keep going
You take it in ‘til you tune it out
If you’re not happy with what you’re seeing
This ain’t the time to take it lying down

I remember when country was country
I remember when the blues was black
Things change just like the weather
Nostalgia ain’t gonna bring it back

Thunderstorms are being born
The next generation’s got their own thing
Try to fight it, try to spite it
All you get is a big nothin’
All you get is a big NOTHING

‘Cause irregardless, you just keep going
You take it in ‘til you tune it out
If you’re not happy with what you’re seeing
This ain’t the time to take it lying down
No, this ain’t the time to take it lying down

9. Indiana

I hope I never go back to Indiana
I hope the highway forgets that it is here
I pray my path never again sees Indiana
And pray to god of this great land to keep me clear

When I was just a boy I hit the highway
Something drove me out away from home
In this great land I have gazed upon the glory
The rugged mountains, desert diamonds, canyons grand

I’ve stood in ole Kentucky’s hollers
Walked across California’s Golden Gate
I’ve travelled the North Country’s woodlands
Watched the sunrise out in the Western states

I hope I never go back to Indiana
I hope the highway forgets that it is here
Pray my path never again sees Indiana
Pray to god of this great land to keep me clear

Florida has got its sunshine
Idaho is a gem of a place
In West Virginia they are playing by their own set of rules
Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes

Maine has got its quiet harbors
Their ocean border gave them a blessed fate
Indiana: they have manufactured evil
Oh, some say that it’s a hell of a state

I hope I never go back to Indiana
I hope the highway forgets that it is here
Pray my path never again sees Indiana
Pray to god of this great land to keep me clear

I’d be remiss to say that it ain’t worth saving
Jesus loves the sinner who hears his call
In Indiana the devil rocks the cradle
Evil’s in the soil, it’s in the soil, in one and all

I hope I never go back to Indiana
I mean not never, forever and amen
Oh, the devil is real in Indiana
Oh, Indiana I hope to never see again
Oh, Indiana, not ever again

10. When The Hammer Falls

I always wanted people to like me
Be proud of the things I’ve done
Accept me and praise me, and sometimes leave me alone

But, life isn’t so simple
The world can be hard and mean
You know it’s filled with all kinds of people
Some are willing to shatter your dreams

When the hammer falls, be ready
When battle calls, hold steady
What you thought you could count on ain’t what it once was
The hammer falls ‘cause it always does
The hammer falls ‘cause it always does

I used to think that time was an ocean
And I could sail out as far as I could
No end is sight, no ties to devotion
Rock on the waves, the creak of the wood

But, life isn’t so simple
An ocean can be hard and mean
The water stops for nothing and no one
It knows no difference ‘tween laughter and screams

When the hammer falls, be ready
When battle calls, hold steady
What you thought you could count on ain’t what it once was
The hammer falls ‘cause it always does
The hammer falls ‘cause it always does

You’ve gotta question “what does it all mean?”
Mark each day like a notch in the wood
Bad things happen to good people
Bad people get more than they should

But, life isn’t so simple
A lot of things can be hard and mean
It’s not a fair fight it’s a rumble
It takes an army to take on the machine

When the hammer falls, be ready
When battle calls, hold steady
What you thought you could count on ain’t what it once was
The hammer falls ‘cause it always does
The hammer falls ‘cause it always does
The hammer falls ‘cause it always does

credits

released August 20, 2021

Ward Hayden & The Outliers:

Josh Kiggans - Drum Kit, Percussion

Cody Nilsen - Electric Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Pedal Steel, 12 String, Vocals

Greg Hall - Bass

Ward Hayden - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

Additional Guitars, Harmony and "Joe Perry Lick" - Eric "Roscoe" Ambel

Produced by Eric "Roscoe" Ambel

Recorded by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, MA

Mixed by Mario Viele & Eric Ambel at Cowboy Technical Services in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Mastered by Richard Dodd in Nashville, TN

Layout and Design by Peter MacPhee

Photography by Elizabeth Ellenwood

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Ward Hayden & The Outliers Boston, Massachusetts

Ward Hayden and The Outliers are a musical force to be reckoned with. From heart wrenching country ballads to foot-stompin’ rock ‘n’ roll, whether live or on record, Ward Hayden and the Outliers deliver every time.

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