Western Independent Recordings WIR 0115

6. MICK SHAFFER: TOUGH OLD BIRD

M. Shaffer; Affected Twang Music (ASCAP)
Mick Shaffer: Vocals, guitars; Danny Allen: Percussion; Brandon Essex: Standup bass
Produced, recorded, and mixed by Danny Allen at Baby Buck Studios, Oakland, CA

Well I’m a tough old bird and my time draws near,
The sun gets colder every day.
Hole’d up in this nest I’m doing my best,
But I can feel it all slippin’ away.

God damn ‘em for sayin’ I can’t fly no more,
Beaten wings can’t bear weight.
These legs can’t carry me to what’s in store,
But it’s coming just the same.

I never been scared of too much,
Just love, God, and war,
Never thought much of them that needed crutch,
Made it on less when we needed more.

Well they put me on short time long ago,
But nobody told my heart.
Keeps on beating steady but slow,
While the rest just falls apart.

This mess ain’t gonna clean itself, somebody hand me a rake,
You want it done right you better do it yourself, there’s just too much at stake.
And when I meet my maker I’ll look ‘em straight in the eye.
When the light goes down in the Western sky.

This body was once my calling card,
It’s a prison into which I’ve fallen hard.
Got no need of vanity,
Not enough room in this skin for me.

Sweet, sweet, lady bird, please draw near,
Lay your sweet head down here next to mine.
So many years we’ve been flying here,
In these heavens that sparkle and shine.

Well I never been scared of too much,
I ain’t that scared right now,
I promise you all I’ll be keeping in touch,
If your dreams will allow.

If they ask tell them ‘twas one hell of ride,
I take nothing unsaid to the other side.
If they ask tell them grace took me just as I am,
If they ask tell them all I was one hell of a man.

This mess ain’t gonna clean itself, somebody hand me a rake,
You want it done right you better do it yourself, there’s just too much at stake.
And when I meet my maker I’ll look ‘em straight in the eye.
When the light goes down in the Western sky

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MICK SHAFFER:
Mick Shaffer crafts roots-rock short stories of lovers, buggers, and thieves. Sometimes funny. Sometimes raw. Mostly at the same time.

The SF Examiner says Mick is "a truly phenomenal bottle-neck blues guitarist...if Joe Strummer had been born as Johnny Cash”. His 2012 recording, “Fool For Love”, is available on iTunes & CD Baby.