Jameson Elder

ANA10338 Any Other Way

I've heard stories of a road less traveled
That leads us weary sinners to streets of gold
But they left out the chapter on blood and gravel
And the fear that come tomorrow you'll be too old

The devil on my left, he always whispers
The angel on my right can't find the words
I'm here just trying to remember
The reason I set out upon this course

Finding what I'm really singing for
It's love, it's pain
Headlights on the interstate
It's pride, regrets
Living on hope and cigarettes
It's Nashville to Austin with twenty-three dollars to my name
I'd be damned if I had it any other way

There's nothing like the fire of a dreamer
Who's yet to pay a penny of his toll
The trick here is finding a believer
Who's lived to see the dark side of the road

Come out knowing just what he's singing for
It's love, it's pain
Headlights on the interstate
It's pride, regrets
Living on hope and cigarettes
It's Nashville to Austin with twenty-three dollars to my name
I'd be damned if I had it any other way

Well the price of wisdom's high and going up
And I pray every night I've got enough

For love, for pain
For headlights on the interstate
For pride, regrets
Living on hope and cigarettes
It's Nashville to Austin with twenty-three dollars to my name
I'd be damned if I had it any other way

ANA10337 Not Ready

Half asleep in the backseat
Waiting on a turn to come
40 miles left to my town
But I feel no closer to home

Lost in the middle of daydreams
The miles keep rolling on
The sun beats down on my tired face
And I'm feeling so alone

But I'm not ready to give that up just yet

I've had so much time to sort things out
Still can't find where I went wrong
Seems I can't find a remedy
No matter where I start

But I'm not ready to give that up just yet

Won't you tell me I'm not crazy
Tell me you understand

They say I'm searching for someone
To whom my heart belongs
But I see the face in the rearview
Of a man who's so scared of love

But I'm not ready to give that up just yet

Won't you tell me I'm not crazy
Tell me you understand

ANA10273 Your Time Is Coming Soon

I swear this house is haunted
Feel it rising up in my bones
Fever's burning hot
I hear the sound of my own ghosts

From the prison of my nightmares
They escaped my ball and chain
Now they stare at me with my own eyes
I can't hold their gaze

And they sing oh, you're time is coming soon

Saw a man who looked just like me
By the bridge at the river bed
With my same face and a wild smile
Put these words into my head

What doesn't kill you
Only makes you wonder if you're still alive
When you're in the company of all these ghosts
Every single night

And they sing oh, you're time is coming soon

I felt the sweet hand of mercy
Like I never had before
The sun shown in her long blonde hair
Like an angel at my door

With a gentle whisper
She sang sweet words of grace
"Til you embrace the truth
You're never gonna change"

ANA10350 Steady Hand

Steady Hand

I was born in Georgia, a little ways from Tennessee
A humble house in a farming town
Just another mouth to feed
I learned to work the earth like my father before me
Always looking for better things ahead

She ran barefoot in the dirt, despite her mother's warning
We kissed beneath that old oak tree after school on Monday morning
And I lay awake each night, wishing she was at my side
So I could whisper in hear ear as she fell asleep

I'll be your steady hand
Your shelter in the storm
The one who mends the fire
To keep you safe and warm
I'll be your steady hand
You know my word is true
I'll be a steady hand for you

We got married on a Friday, when she was just sixteen
Our vows were shared, the judge declared, and I gave her a dime store ring
Her daddy would be angry, probably threaten to end my life
But I just smiled and kissed my new wife

I'll be your steady hand
You shelter in the storm
The one who mends the fire
To keep you safe and warm
I'll be your steady hand
You know my word is true
I'll be a steady hand for you

60 years and six kids later, she's still right there by my side
These days she don't remember much of anything
Doctor says it's getting worse, this disease has stole her mind
But every night I still look her in the eye

I'll be your steady hand
The one to catch you when you fall
The one help you find some peace of mind when your memory is gone
I'll be your steady hand
You know my word is true
I'll be a steady hand for you

We've had ourselves a good life
We laughed more than we cried
And the love we made together kept us easy on the eyes
I know I'm leaving early, but I promise you my bride
It won't be long until I hold you again

I'll be your steady hand
Walking down those streets of gold
And when you see the face of Jesus
You'll have my hand to hold
I'll be your steady hand
You know my words are true
I'll be a steady hand for you

ANA10331 Fine Wine

When I get off this stage
There's a girl back home I'm gonna call
And hope she's still awake
With all these faces I've never seen
I wanna hear a voice I know
From a heart that never changes
That found its way to me

She's a fine wine
The purest kind
The kind you drink once in your life
Well she grew up strong
And she grew up right
And I'd be a fool to watch her leave
Hold on, boy
You're playing for keeps

She's the only one who has a way
Of getting words to come right out that I never meant to say
I find honesty so strange
But when she hands me that drink I start to open up little
And say what I need to say

She's a fine wine
The purest kind
The kind you drink once in your life
Well she grew up strong
And she grew up right
And I'd be a fool to watch her leave

Oh and if I go down this road alone
I'll never know the love that I seek
But when she takes my hand
I start to understand
That her love is all I'll ever need
She will always
She will always
She will always be

My fine wine
The purest kind
The kind you drink once in your life
Well she grew up strong
And she grew up right
And I'd be a fool to watch her leave
So hold on, boy
You're playing for keeps
Hold on, boy
You're playing for keeps

ANA10351 Leave The Light On

Leave The Light On
Jameson Elder & Hanna Walters

If I step into the night alone
Will you be there when I get home?
I kissed her eyes and whispered slow
Will you be there when I get home?

Please don't you forget to leave the light on
So I can find a place to lay my head
I promise I'll be back before the sunrise
In your arms i'll find my shelter once again

She sings an old and familiar song
I long to hear that voice again
There in the morning as sleep departs
The beckons me, she pulls me in

Please don't you forget to leave the light on
So I can find a place to lay my head
I promise I'll be back before the sunrise
In your arms i'll find my shelter once again

ANA10330 Sweet Virginia

Well she's got the prettiest eyes I think I've ever seen
She was a wild­haired child that always ran ahead of me
I tried my best to keep up, but I kept tripping on my feet
And she never looked back, never stopped for a minute, chasing all her dreams

Well the years go by, I guess the fire died
Or someone clipped her wings

Sweet Virginia
Where did you go wrong?
Oh when'd you quit believin' in living life like a song

Well if I take a step back I guess time's been mostly good to me
Yeah, it took me a while to finally find my melody
But life has slowed you down and left you chasing memories
You shoulda never looked back, never stopped for a minute, running down your dreams

So won't you tell me why the fire died
Tell me who clipped your wings

Sweet Virginia
Where did you go wrong?
Oh when'd you quit believin' in living life like a song

Well there ain't no shame in falling if you get back up
Babe I think you've held this sadness in you long enough
Let's get you on your feet dear
So you can run away with me

Sweet Virginia
Where did you go wrong?
Oh when'd you quit believin' in living life like a song

ANA10352 Greatest Champion

Greatest Champion
Welcome home
Drop your keys and lose your coat
I'll pour a glass for us both
Something we can drink slow
Let's go out under the stars
Tell me what's on your heart
Take a seat right by my side
We've got nothing here but time
I've found my life's companion
This I can say with certainty and pride
I'll be your greatest champion
Until the day I die
I love every word you say
They warm me up like the light of day
So come and whisper tenderly
The words you're saving just for me
I've found my life's companion
This I can say with certainty and pride
I'll be your greatest champion
Until the day I die

ANA10348 If I Die Tonight

If I Die Tonight

Step away from the window
Turn my back on red city streets
Sirens singing their nightly song
As the rest of the world is asleep
But out here on the strip
There's no sign of relief
Rockets pierce the starlit sky
And we all hide under the sheets

Oh and if I die tonight
Will you remember me when I'm gone?
Oh and if I die tonight
Know that the fear is gone

All I want is a home
Where a kid like me can grow
Maybe fall in love
And make this broken world our own
But I've watched the world burn
Like a cigarette in the night
Cause they hate the way we pray every day
And the faith we hold so tight

Oh and if I die tonight
Will you remember me when I'm gone?
Oh and if I die tonight
Know that the fear is gone

Oh and if I die tonight
I'll send an angel to your side
Oh and if I die tonight
Can you tell me why?

ANA10353 In My Mother's Arms

In My Mother's Arms
Jameson Elder & Holley Maher

I've got a little more I've gotta give
A little life I've gotta live
Before my bones grow old
I've got a few more chances I can take
A few more memories to make
Before they send me home

We'll walk a little further through the trees
Singing songs I learned to sing
In the days when I was young
We'll talk about the life i tried lead
About the man i tried to be
The one she helped me to become
When they laid me in my mother's arms

When my weary soul's departed
And my body's turned to dust
I'll find my ending where I started from
In my mother's arms

I thought growing up was gettin' gone
Moving up and moving on
From the place where I was born
I've found that the opposite is true

Growing up
Is finding my way back to you
(In my mother's arms)

When my weary soul's departed
And my body's turned to dust
I'll find my ending where I started from
In my mother's arms

I know when it's time for me to go
That a voice will call me home
Take me back where I belong
In my mother's arms

ANA10349 Sinking Like A Stone

Sinking Like A Stone
Jameson Elder & Blake Mundell

Went out today down to 5th and Main
And bought me a new pair of shoes
To try and escape all these broken dreams
And outrun the shadow of you

I coulda done better, I coulda done worse
I shoulda done nothing at all
But the way your kiss brought me to the edge
Set me up for the fall

I was born with a restless heart
And a fever in my lungs
Trouble's done its work on me
Maybe I shoulda known
That I'm sinking like a stone
Sinking like a stone

So much for being open hearted
So much for caring at all
Drive all night waiting for a sign
That may not ever come

I was born with a restless heart
And a fever in my lungs
Trouble's done its work on me
Maybe I shoulda known
That I'm sinking like a stone
Sinking like a stone

I took one step too many
And ended up out on my own
I've been toeing the line
In between wrong and right for too long

The sun sets on good and evil
Rain falls on everyone
Good men keep count of their sins
While the rest of us put them in songs

I was born with a restless heart
And a fever in my lungs
Trouble's done its work on me
Maybe I shoulda known
That I'm sinking like a stone
Sinking like a stone
Sinking like a stone
Sinking like a stone

ANA10207 Where You Fall

You find trouble inside your dreams
While I find her in newspaper and magazines
And when trouble, she knocks on you door
Just tell her she's not welcome anymore
See the writing on the wall?
You don't need to fear at all

It's not too late to say goodbye to this heartbreak
Let our feet take us someplace that we have never known
And chances are we'll stumble while we're chasing stars
But I'm gonna love you no matter where you fall

I know you've seen all this before
When opening up your heart is like waging war
Your eyes look like you're losing sleep
And you talk like you've lost everything
Oh darling don't you know
You don't have to go alone

It's not too late to say goodbye to this heartbreak
Let our feet take us someplace that we have never known
And chances are we'll stumble while we're chasing stars
But I'm gonna love you no matter where you fall

And A day may come
when trouble thinks she's won
cause she has you on your knees
But what she doesn't know
is that I'm standing close
and I've got the love that you need

It's not too late to say goodbye to this heartbreak
Let our feet take us someplace that we have never known
And chances are we'll stumble while we're chasing stars
But I'm gonna love you no matter where you fall

ANA10184 Lie To Me

With these stones we throw, we could build walls
Cities that touch the sky
We could watch as our mansions grow tall
But as they crumble, we wonder why

So you lie awake and you catch your breath
Searching dreams to ease your mind
But under the weight of words unsaid
Sleep won't close your eyes tonight

Don't you lie to me
Don't you lie to me
Don't you lie to me
And tell me everything is exactly the way
You wanted it to be

Fleeting words run through my head
Silence fills the air instead
You think I'm cold, but I'm just scared
Afraid my love will leave me re

Don't you lie to me
Don't you lie to me
Don't you lie to me
And tell me everything is exactly the way
You wanted it to be

All the promises that we once made
Lie in ruin on the streets we paved
But I don't want to make my home
A mansion that I built alone

Don't you lie to me
Don't you lie to me
Don't you lie to me
And tell me everything is exactly the way
You wanted it to be

ANA10183 Morning Fades

Woke up this morning before sunrise
watched the black night turn into blue skies
the morning fades away
the morning fades away

Songbirds singing out their melody
feels like you're standing right beside me
the feeling fades away
the feeling fades away

Oh I miss you when you're not around
Nothing feels the same

Willow leaves stir in the cool breeze
Echoing whispers you once told me
And then they fade away
These whispers fade away

Oh I miss you when you're not around
Nothing feels the same
Oh I Miss you when you're gone
Nothing feels the same

twilight dances on the skyline
fist star i see, i wish you'd be mine
these wishes still remain
these wishes still reman

Oh I miss you when you're not around
Nothing feels the same
Oh I Miss you when you're gone
Nothing feels the same

Woke up this morning before sunrise
watched the black night turn into blue skies
the morning fades away
the morning fades away

ANA10155 Beautiful Remains

Oh Be careful my dear
There is fire in these walls
And before they turn to ashes
You can hear the midnight call

So won't you look me in the eye now
And tell me it's not true
That these mistakes that I've been making
Have become the death of you

And if love can find a way
Where the beautiful remains
Then love can find a way
To anything

We are more than just our memories
We are more than just our friends
And these scars are telling stories
Of the people we have been

In the shadows and the darkness
Still a light can be found
In my fears and in my failures
there is a hope that still resounds

And if love can find a way
Where the beautiful remains
Then love can find a way
To anything

ANA10186 Cold November

It's a cold November and you warm me with a kiss
I can't promise you much, but I'll promise you this
I will never ever ever leave your side
Step outside girl it looks just like rain
We can get a little wet,
Let the water wash all our pain
Far away

Forsaking reason
We're finding love

I can't get you out of my mind
You're not one I can just forget in time
No I can't get you out of my mind
This moment comes
When You find someone you love
Right in front of you

Behind your eyes there's a dawn growing near
In the afternoon
the Autumn seems ever clear
Seasons change and the colors they fade
but next to me, girl
you always will remain
will remain

Winter's cold stares won't leave me lonely

I can't get you out of my mind
You're not one I can just forget in time
No I can't get you out of my mind
This moment comes
When You find someone you love
Right in front of you

I'm tired of sunsets
spent here all alone
We're taking our chances
Finding our way on (home?)
You hold nothing back
when all you hold is dear

I can't get you out of my mind
You're not one I can just forget in time
No I can't get you out of my mind
This moment comes
When You find someone you love
Right in front of you

ANA10157 Let It Go

All of our secrets come into the light
I would have preferred more sleep tonight
But it's out on the table now
and there's no running

The past has caught us in this moment
a wrinkle in our precious time
how can we worry about tomorrow
Before we get through tonight

And all of our memories
All of our pain
All of the places that we have been
You gotta let it go
You gotta let it go

We'll need some time
to pass away the tears
to let it all out
there's no disappointment here
just gotta work it out

Cause running from the past
just won't do
we'll stand strong
and face the truth
cause love is our shelter
and love still remains

And all of our memories
All of our pain
All of the places that we have been
You gotta let it go
You gotta let it go

ANA10185 Pony Ride

This ain't a pony ride
We're not kids anymore
I know that there's more on the line
Than we give credit for

But I recall a little girl
Flowers in her hair
Standing in a world unknown
Outside the grip of fear

Let me love you now
Like sunlight breaking through the clouds
Let me love you now
And maybe our sorrows will be over overwhelmed

Not gonna step aside
Not gonna let you slide on by
Can't you see we're just wasting time here
Making up our minds

Let me love you now
Like sunlight breaking through the clouds
Let me love you now
And maybe our sorrows will be over overwhelmed

And I want you to know
That my love isn't gold
It's been battered and broken
But it still holds a spark

Let me love you now
Like sunlight breaking through the clouds
Let me love you now
And maybe our sorrows will be over overwhelmed

ANA10251 Letters In The Sand

By Jameson Elder & Hanna Walters

I've been counting the days since
I left you in a strangers arms
With no other reason
But to find myself and escape my home
I got lost in the pages
Caught up in stories not my own
Now i'm left here guessing
Which way i should go

I tried to write a letter in the sand
The ocean took the words right from my hands
You will never hear these thoughts
Floating round in my head

I tried to explain how
All the things that I've done wrong
Left me with nothing
But calloused hands and a heart of stone
I told you I need you
I don't do well on my own

I tried to write a letter in the sand
The ocean took these words right from my hands
You will never hear these thoughts
Floating round in my head

I've been writing for days now
All the things i never said
Maybe it's time i
Put these words to rest