Get all 9 Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Going the Distance, Live at Jumping Dog Studio Halloween Eve 2020, 27 Voices (Live), I Never Give Up (live), Collection 2008-2018, The Hard Part of Flying, The Great Unknown, Ray of Hope, and 1 more.
1. |
Fortunate Man
03:10
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Fortunate Man
This isn’t the life that I pictured
But this is the life that I chose
Measured by jewelry,
My life isn’t much, I suppose
Cause I’ve never made any money
And fame was a Tuesday night stand
In spite of all that
I am a fortunate man
For I have the fairest of lovers
And I have the truest of friends
And I have a place I can go
When my darkness descends
And I have a dream still inside me
And I’ve got this guitar in my hand
Measured by that
I am a fortunate man
© words & music by Jim Patton
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2. |
Aliceanna St
04:07
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Aliceanna St.
See the people in the morning on their way to work
Or maybe just looking for a day's pay
I see 'em leaving in the morning
I see 'em come home at night
Looking like they lost something along the way
I see my man coming home, so down and tired
The bottle's open before I get supper on
But I’m not complaining; it makes him feel better
Aliceanna Street ain't what we counted on
It's not the working hard
It's not the being poor
It's the feeling deep inside us
We could be so much more
It's not the bitter cold
It's not the August heat
It's being stuck without a choice
On Aliceanna Street
Now I work part-time while my kids are at school
There's no one home when they let themselves in
And I tell them they'll have it different
And I tell them they'll have it better
Christ, I tell them anything that I can
The nuns say you gotta suffer to earn your place above
It's a sin to expect any more
Well, I don't believe that and I don't feel guilty
I know this ain’t what living’s for
Sometimes we take the kids on that old ferry boat
And we wave to all the people on the shore
Someday we’ll pack our bags and ride across that water
And we won't come back here anymore
words by Frank Mirenzi and Jim Patton;
music by Frank Mirenzi, Jim Patton, Billy Kemp, and Geoffrey Himes ©1991 Independent Alligator Publishing Co. (ASCAP)
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3. |
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Somewhere Else There's A Promised Land
My dad never left our town
Except when he went off to war
And two weeks every summer
He'd take the family down to the Eastern Shore
Never went to college
Never hit the open road
Never had the chance, he said
Before he got too old
He started work at Bethlehem Steel
The summer that he turned 16
That same year he took a wife
And he had a kid; the kid was me
He'd sit in his easy chair
Drinkin' beer, watching the Orioles play
"I let them wall me in," he'd say
"Don't you end up this way"
We'd sit out on the rowhouse step
He'd point down the road with a shaky hand
He'd say: "Get out of here as soon as you can,"
"Somewhere else there's a promised land"
I wore a leather jacket and pointed boots
And I thought my old man was just a fool
I'd go drinking with my friends
In my Camaro instead of going to school
Got a job at a bar downtown
I'd play guitar there all night long
"Louie Louie", "Hanky Panky"
"I Fought The Law & The Law Won"
And sometimes in the evening
I'd drive my car past those rowhouse steps
And think about daddy's promised land
And all those things he did not get
Then I had myself a kid
Got a job at the IGA
Put a lot of things on hold
That I keep there to this day
Bought a house in Towson
Watched my daughter grow
Thought about what I'd say to her
Before she gets too old
We'll sit out on our townhouse step
I’ll point down the road with a shaky hand
I’ll say: "Get out of here as soon as you can,"
"Somewhere else there's a promised land"
words & music by Jim Patton & Geoffrey Himes © (Independent Alligator Publishing Co/Red Wheelbarrow Publishing CO) (ASCAP)
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4. |
Finest Hour
03:03
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Finest Hour
Well there were no knights in armour
Come along to save the day
And there were no men on horseback
No Eastern star to show the way
There was only you
Wishing you could somehow get away
In your finest hour
The king was in the counting house
Counting all his money
And his closest friends were laughing
At some joke that wasn't funny
And the rain came down like justice
On the land of milk and honey
In your finest hour
There were no cheers
No screaming crowd
No one to strike up the band
No escape from your fears
Nobody calling your name
Nobody shaking your hand
There was moonlight on the open road
A cold wind in your face
And a light on in the kitchen
All night long at Frankie's place
And a frightened kid inside you
Who felt completely out of place
In your finest hour
© words & music by Jim Patton Independent Alligator Publishing Co. (ASCAP)
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5. |
I'll Still Stand By You
02:24
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I’ll Still Stand By You
We looked into each other’s eyes
Upon our wedding day
The Reverend Frank Mirenzi
Gave us cards with words to say
But we didn’t need those cards at all
We knew that song by heart
Ben E. King sang “Stand By Me”
And we swore we’d never part
The road we took from Paradise
Was not always straight and true
We did some damage to each other
You hurt me and I hurt you
I know we can’t turn back time
To when our love was new
But if you hold me close tonight
I’ll still stand by you
Twenty years have come and gone
Since our wedding day
Battles lost and battles won
Plans gang aft agley
But you’re still standing by my side
And one thing I know is true
If you hold me close tonight
I’ll still stand by you
I know we can’t turn back time
To when our love was new
But if you hold me close tonight
I’ll still stand by you
© words & music by Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
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6. |
27 Voices
02:52
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27 Voices
I’ve got 27 voices in my head
25 tell me I’d be better off dead
Twelve get scared in the middle of the night
One says: Jim you better hold on tight
Most of them are pretty sure I’ve been misled
By the other 26 voices in my head
I’ve got 27 voices in my head
27 voices
I’ve got 27 voices in my brain
Two remind me of my greatest shame
Three can’t even remember my name
Four of them are clinically insane
One voice howling like a hurricane
At the other 26 voices in my brain
I’ve got 27 voices in my brain
27 voices
One voice fills me with regret
Second voice says: forgive and forget
Third voice tells me: that’s a sucker’s bet
Fourth voice says: You take what you can get
One voice wishing he had never met
The other 26 voices in my head
I’ve got 27 voices in my head
27 voices
27 voices
© words and music by Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
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7. |
Wings of an Airplane
03:32
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Wings Of An Airplane
On the wings of an airplane
He’s coming back home
She waits at the airport
In the bar, all alone
She’s waiting for someone
That she don’t even know
The only man that she ever loved
Is coming back home
On the wings of an airplane
He moved to the coast
She used to call him at Christmas
When it hurt her the most
She once was his daughter
She became like a ghost
The only man that she ever loved
Disappeared, just like smoke
He used to fight with her mother
Over money and love
Then he walked out forever
Said: “It hurts too damn much”
He walked out on his old life
And the seeds that he’d sown
On the wings of an airplane
He’s coming back home
On the wings of an airplane
He’s coming her way
He called her last Thursday
Hoping it was ok
Now she’s drinking tequila
She’s got nothing to say
The only man that she ever loved
Is coming too late
© words and music by Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
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8. |
Another Pretty Deep Hole
03:01
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Another Pretty Deep Hole
You woke up in the bathtub
Where you probably fell asleep
After the fight
You're out of cigarettes;
You can't remember
Coming home last night
The last thing you remember
Is someone shouting at you:
“Look what you done now!”
You dug yourself another pretty deep hole
But you'll get out somehow
You'll start apologizing
Just as soon as you find out
Who you done wrong
You’ll swear this is the last time
You’ll stay out of trouble from now on
You talked yourself into this mess
And now it’s time to talk your way back out
You dug yourself another pretty deep hole
But you'll get out somehow
And you’re still digging
You can’t stop digging
You’re still digging down
You’ll head back down to Peter’s
You’re pretty sure that’s where you left your car
If it’s just a dented fender
You can maybe have a quick one at the bar
Then you’ll start explaining
Giving us the wherefore and the how
You dug yourself another pretty deep hole
You dug yourself another pretty deep hole
You dug yourself another pretty deep hole
But you'll get out somehow
© words and music by Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
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9. |
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Tonight I’m Just Thinking About You
Well hello how are you?
It’s been a long long time
It’s good to hear your voice on the phone
Yes, it’s me; I’m calling from Austin, Texas
No, I’m not looking for a loan
I just missed you
And I was wondering how you were doing
Remember when we stole that blue canoe?
Boat started leaking; we laughed so hard
Tonight I’m just thinking about you
How many kids?
Are they gonna go to college?
Do you think they’ll be as crazy as me and you?
No, I hope not, too,
That’s a long hard road
And some of our friends did not make it through
Are you rich? Are you happy?
Do you still love your lover?
Have any of your biggest dreams come true?
No, I wouldn’t ask that,
That’s not why I’m calling
Tonight I’m just thinking about you
Yeah, I gotta go too
My wife will start wondering
Maybe next year we can get back home
Do you ever see Frank?
Ah, what am I saying?
Go on now, I know you gotta go
What I wanted to say was: ah, never mind
Some things are better left unsaid; it’s true
Yes, it’s me; I’m calling from Austin, Texas,
Tonight I’m just thinking about you
© words and music by Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
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10. |
Tarnished Angel
02:48
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Tarnished Angel
Once she was his perfect angel
Heart so pure, face so fair
And when she wrapped
Those wings around him
And swore to be faithful
He took comfort there
Now she is a tarnished angel
The moon and stars no more to roam
Now she is a tarnished angel
Descended from heaven
Can’t find her way home
Now her heart
Is filled with sorrow
Now her eyes
Are filled with regret
Now her wings
Are torn and tattered
All for a lie
That she can’t forget
Now she is a tarnished angel
The moon and stars no more to roam
Now she is a tarnished angel
Descended from heaven
Can’t find her way home
Now she smokes a cigarette
Alone in the darkness
As she watches her husband playing guitar
And she sips Grand Marnier
And she thinks about flying
And she wishes for heaven
So near yet so far
Now she is a tarnished angel
The moon and stars no more to roam
Now she is a tarnished angel
Descended from heaven
Can’t find her way home
© words and music by Jim Patton and Frank Mirenzi (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
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11. |
Son of My Father
03:30
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Son of My Father
My daddy was a gambler
He lost everything we had
He used to love to play the horses
The only luck he had was bad
Spent a couple months in prison
We lied about where he'd been
I am the son of my father
Swore I'd never be like him
My brother is a junkie
Played the drums in my first band
We used to practice in the basement
Making jokes 'bout our old man
Now he lives in public housing
His life revolves around the man
Another son of my father
Swore I'd never be like him
But I take my chances
I live my life without a net
And I'm just as addicted
To things I want but cannot get
And who am I to tell you
Where they leave off and I begin
I am the son of my father
I have his blood beneath my skin
Now my daddy was a gambler
So I have seen through that romance
And my brother, he's a junkie
So I will never dance that dance
But who am I to tell you
Where they leave off and I begin
I am the son of my father
Swore I'd never be like him
I am the son of my father
I have his blood beneath my skin
© words & music by Jim Patton (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
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12. |
Don't Say Goodbye
02:57
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Don’t Say Goodbye
Heard you’re leaving town today
For a new and better life, well that’s ok
Toward thinner air and bluer skies
Just say so long
Don’t say goodbye
A wheel can turn without some spokes
But without the center, that wheel’s just broke
Now this old wheel’s been shot to hell
Don’t say goodbye
Say fare thee well
Now that red sun is setting strong
And I know, I know you must be moving on
500 miles before the dawn
Don’t say goodbye
Just say so long
Now my old friend, we’ve often been apart
Ah, but never, never, never in my heart
You wrote the words, I sang the tune
Don’t say goodbye
Say see you soon
I wrote the words, You sang the tune
Don’t say goodbye
Say see you soon
Just say so long
Don’t say goodbye
I’ll say fare thee well
Cause I don’t say goodbye
© words and music by Jim Patton and Frank Mirenzi (Independent Alligator Publishing Co) (ASCAP)
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Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus Austin, Texas
Austin folk rock songwriters Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus return with their 7th CD on Houston's Berkalin Records. This time they're leaning toward the rock side of their folk-rock equation with a sound more comparable to Tom Petty or the Byrds.
Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus recommends:
Heat Sin Water Skin
by BettySoo
wonderful ethereal vocals that can rock as well, fine songs, great production and guitar from the legendary Gurf Morlix. She plays "slow" as well as anyone (check her Hank Williams cover.
go to album
Little Grey Sheep
by Danny Schmidt
If it only had "Company of Friends", this album would be worth it, but the rest of the album is chockful of Danny's insightful, up to date tunes.
go to albumIf you like Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus, you may also like:
24th Street Blues
by Tom Heyman
Tom Heyman documents life in San Francisco circa 2023, refusing to succumb to easy characterization & instead capturing the city’s nuance.
go to album
Zed For Zulu
by Those Pretty Wrongs
Jody Stephens of Big Star and Luther Russell of the Freewheelers team for a radiant LP packed full of slide guitar and pop smarts.
go to album
Downey to Lubbock
by Dave Alvin
Soulful guitar interplay form the heart of this lovely Americana collaboration from Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
go to album
Out on the line
by The Blue Highways
The slashing roots rock on “Out On the Line” always makes its way to the kind of triumphant chorus that quickens the pulse.
go to album
