American Country Singers

"Ah, to be so exciting Won't need bright lights No, no we won't Gonna make our own lighting She got the way to move me, Cherry"

"Then I saw her face Now I'm a believer Not a trace of doubt in my mind I'm in love I'm a believer I couldn't leave her if I tried."

"Her eyes would make an angel smile. They'd call her Sunday. She'll take a man and drive him wild. Her name is Sunday, And one day I'm gonna make her mine. It's gonna be so fine. You wait and see, It's gonna be Just Sunday and me."

"I'm a writer who performs. And I mean, I'm basically a writer. I've been doing it since I was 16. … For me, the balance between the two, the writing -- a year, two years, whatever it takes to do an album, and then you've had enough of writing and thinking and being introspective and all of that kind of stuff, and you want to get out on the road and you want to, you know, get into the physicality of performing."

"Girl, I don't want to fight, I'm a little bit wrong, And you're a little bit right. I said, girl, you know that it's true, It's a little bit me, And it's a little bit you too."

"A thing called "Cherry Cherry", was my first big national hit. It was a top five record. And international, as well. And you know, that's what broke the dam. … Boom, as soon as that record hit, I was out on the road. And I've been out on the road… since then. … I didn't realize it at first, but I did want to perform. I liked it. It was fun. You know, I went through all of the growth experiences that you go through in any field. But I did like it. And you know, I've been doing it since."

"I'm a perfectionist. I like to get it right. I like to get it good. And you know, writing songs is not -- it's not the kind of thing that you can count on every day. You never know what's going to come or if it's going to come. So you -- you know, it's an uncertain kind of a thing."

"Kentucky woman She shines with her own kind of light. She'd look at you once And a day that's all wrong looks all right. And I love her, God knows, I love her.Kentucky woman, If she get to know you, She goin' to own you. Kentucky woman."

"Shilo when I was young, I used to call your name. When no one else would come, Shilo you always came and we'd play."

"Used to slip though every girl's hand like water There never was one who could ever tie me down Straight ahead and steady as Gibraltar 'Til you brought me tumblin' to the ground You got to me You brought me to may knees"

"I'm walkin' But I'm going nowhere at all. I'm 'bout to head any place in the world But the place that I am"

"I actually wanted to go to medical school. I actually wanted to be a laboratory biologist. I wanted to study. And I really wanted to find a cure for cancer. My grandmother had died of cancer. And I was always very good at the sciences. And I thought I would go and try and discover the cure for cancer."

"I passed on the cocaine, Said bye-bye to my methadone. Put down the bottle for one more day. Backing off of my Tobacco Jones. Still I feel like a hopeless junkie, Like a man who can't say no. I look back and there's that monkey; Rascal won't let go."

"When I grow too old and dull to rock 'n roll Like to hold on tight to you darling And when my fires have all burned out I'd like to think I can still think about The things I used to sing about When I was spending all my time alone By myself and on my own Seldom seen and quite unknown."

"True believer that I am I am blind, lead me on (lead me on) Blessed receiver of your love I own my own time And I've been holding on (holding on) Leave the word unspoken And the spell will not be broken."

"If I had stopped to listen once or twice If I had closed my mouth and opened my eyes If I had cooled my head and warmed my heart I'd not be on this road tonight."

"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time. Any fool can do it; There ain't nothing to it. Nobody knows how we got to The top of the hill. But since we're on our way down, We might as well enjoy the ride."

"Now, the smoke fills the air In this honky-tonk bar. And I'm thinking 'bout where I'd rather be. But I burned all my bridges; I sank all my ships. And I'm stranded at the edge of the sea."

"Seems like even her old girlfriends Might be talking her down. She's got her name on the grapevine Running up and down The telephone line Talking 'bout Someone said, someone said Something 'bout, something else Someone might have said about her She always figured that they were her friends But maybe they can live without her."

"First kiss ever I took Like a page from a romance book. The sky opened and the earth shook."

"Shower the people you love with love. Show them the way that you feel. Things are gonna work out fine if you only will (do as I say, yeah). Shower the people you love with love. Show them the way that you feel. Things are gonna be much better if you only will."

"You can play the game and you can act out the part. Though you know it wasn't written for you. But tell me, how can you stand there with your broken heart, Ashamed of playing the fool? One thing can lead to another; it doesn't take any sacrifice. Oh, father and mother,and sister and brother, If it feels nice, don't think twice."

"Whenever I see your smiling face I have to smile myself. Because I love you (Yes, I do). And when you give me that pretty little pout, It turns me inside out. There's something about you, baby (I don't know)."

"I thought I was in love A couple of times before With the girl next door. But that was long before I met you. Now I'm sure that I won't forget you. And I thank my lucky stars That you are who you are. And not just another lovely lady Sent down to break my heart."

"Oh, Mexico. It sounds so sweet with the sun sinking low. Moon's so bright like to light up the night, Make everything all right."

"The secret of love is in opening up your heart. It's okay to feel afraid, But don't let that stand in your way, no. 'Cause anyone knows that love is the only road. And since we're only here for a while yeah Might as well show some style."

"At that time my heart was all broke I looked like ashes and smelled like smoke. And I turned away from my loving kind Try to leave my body and live in my mind. But it's much too much emotion To hold it in your hand. They've got waves out on the ocean They're gonna wear away the land."

"Sweet Baby James laid down the template for ‘singer-songwriter’ when he broke through in the early ‘70s, and has subsequently become an institution. Sensitive and fragile at first blush, Taylor’s songs have steel in the walls that have ensured they’ve passed the test of time. As fine a fingerpicker as there has been, and a songwriter of immense depth and emotional courage, James Taylor is an icon with good reason."

"Won't you look down upon me, Jesus, You've got to help me make a stand. You've just got to see me through another day. My body's aching and my time is at hand And I won't make it any other way."

"In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina. Can't you see the sunshine? Can't you just feel the moonshine? Ain't it just like a friend of mine To hit me from behind? Yes, I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind."

"I’ve been walking my mind to an easy time, My back turned towards the sun. Lord knows the cold wind blows it’ll turn your head around. Well, there’s hours of time on the telephone line, To talk about things to come. Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground."

"Where do those golden rainbows end? Why is this song so sad? Dreaming the dreams I've dreamed my friend Loving the love I love To love is just a word I've heard when things are being said Stories my poor head has told me cannot stand the cold And in between what might have been and what has come to pass A misbegotten guess alas and bits of broken glass…"

"And as the moon rises he sits by his fire Thinking about women and glasses of beer. And closing his eyes as the dogies retire, He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear, As if maybe someone could hear.Goodnight you moonlight ladies. Rockabye sweet baby James. Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose. Won't you let me go down in my dreams? And rockabye sweet baby James."

"Do me wrong, do me right, Tell me lies but hold me tight, Save your goodbyes for the morning light, But don't let me be lonely tonight."

"Take to the highway, won't you lend me your name? Your way and my way seem to be one and the same, child. Mamma don't understand it. She wants to know where I've been. I'd have to be some kind of natural born fool To want to pass that way again. But I could feel it On a country road."

"Most everybody's got seed to sow It ain't always easy for a weed to grow, oh no. So he don't hoe the row for no one. Oh for sure he's always missing. And something is never quite right. Ah, but who would want to listen to you Kissing his existence good night."

"Just yesterday morning, they let me know that you were gone. Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you. I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song, I just can't remember who to send it to. I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend. But I always thought that I'd see you again."

"Tupac is taking the message to black kids and a lot of white kids, going "This shit's happening on the streets." Well, I'm from a different part of the black community. Why is Orleans Woods in Charleston, South Carolina, less "valid" than Compton?"

"Rucker sings of loss and despair as if they've left him shell-shocked. But Hootie -- born at frat parties and still a bar band at heart -- know how to deliver beers-and-tears material, and the occasional anti-racist slam, with a smile. The same sly grin crept into songs of frustration -- country writer Radney Foster's "A Fine Line" and the Who's "I Can't Explain." But Rucker is no more Charley Pride than Bryan is Pete Townshend."

"In the morning when I closed my eyes, You were sleeping in paradise. And while the room was growing light, I was holding still with all my might."

"Down on the boulevard they take it hard. They look at life with such disregard. They say it can't be won The way the game is run. But if you choose to stay, You end up playing anyway. It's okay."

"Hold a place for the human race. Keep it open wide. Give it time to fall or climb. But let the time decide. Sometimes you wonder what's in this for you. But you wait and you see. 'Cause its all you can do. Just to hold on. Hold on hold out, hold on."

"I can't keep up with what's been going down, I think my heart must just be slowing down. Among the human beings In their designer jeans, Am I the only one who hears the screams And the strangled cries of lawyers in love?"

"You could hold her tight With all your might, But she'd slip through your arms like the wind. And be back in flight, Back into the night, Where you might never see her again."

"Between the darkness on the street And the houses filling up with light. Between the stillness in my heart And the roar of the approaching night. Somebody's calling after somebody, Somebody turns the corner out of sight, Looking for somebody Somewhere in the night.Tender is the night. When you hold your baby tight, Tender are the motions, tender is the night."

"Now the seats are all empty, Let the roadies take the stage. Pack it up and tear it down. They're the first to come and the last to leave, Working for that minimum wage. They'll set it up in another town."

"You love the thunder and you love the rain. You know your hunger like you know your name. I know you wonder how you ever came To be a woman in love with a man in search of the flame."

"Now roll them cases out and lift them amps, Haul them trusses down and get 'em up them ramps. Cause when it comes to moving me, You know you guys are the champs. But when that last guitar's been packed away, You know that I still want to play. So just make sure you got it all set to go Before you come for my piano."

"Running on, running on empty Running on, running blind. Running on, running into the sun But I'm running behind."

"Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels. Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields. '65, I was 17 and running up 101. I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running on."