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Songs I Learned at Kerrville

by Richard Bowdon

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1.
Two Strangers in Love for Tuesday Night 03:06
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{c:chorus} [G7]We’re just two [C]strangers in [C7]love, For Tuesday [F]night and that is all, I [G]don’t know him and he [G7]don’t know me, But we’re [G]having our[G7]selves a [C]ball, Tomorrow night I’ll be [C7]all alone, But to[F]night I’m doing fine {c:walk up}[E][F]Just [F#]two [G]strangers in [G7]love for Tuesday [C]night {c:verse} Well I [C]got off work kind of [C7]late today, And I [F]grabbed myself a bite, Heard a [G]country song and felt all alone, Seemed a [G7]long and lonesome [C]night, So I sat right back, said we [C7]can’t have that, And I [F]headed out that door, Just two [G]strangers in [G7]love for Tuesday [C]night {c:chorus then break} Well I’ve had that kind of love before, That you want to last for life, And I know that things they really do go wrong, Just when you think they’re going right, But that’s not the way it’ll be today, ‘Cause that trouble won’t have time, Just two strangers in love for Tuesday night. {c:chorus then outro: repeat last line}
2.
Full Moon in Austin 05:43
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{c:chorus} There's a [C]full moon in Austin, do you [C7]see it in Dallas and if you [F]see it, are you [Fm]thinking of [C]me? and if you're [F]thinking of [Fm]me, do you re[C]member those [A7]nights long a[D]go, when that [D7]moon shone, [G]just for us to [G7]see do you re[C]member the feel, of your [C7]hand holding mine as we [F]stayed up to [Fm]watch the stars [C]fall There's a [F]full moon in [Fm]Austin, do you [C]see it in [A7]Dallas and if you [D]see it, do you [G7]miss me at [C]all {c:verse} It's [F]been so many [C]years, so many [F]miles, so many [Fm]tears And our [E]lives have [E7]changed so since [Am]then And I'm [F]older and [Fm]wiser in [C]so many [A7]ways But when I [D]think of [D7]you old feelings [G]haunt me once a[G7]gain {c:chorus} [F]And you weren't my [C]first love, no [F]you weren't my [Fm]last It does no [E]good to re[E7]flect on the [Am]past Some [F]lessons I'll [Fm]never learn I still [C]make the same mis[A7]takes And when I [D]see that old [D7]moon and think of [G]you my heart still [G7]breaks [F]I wish I'd never [C]left you, I [F]could've stayed a[Fm]round But that [E]road called and [E7]I had to [Am]go Cause [F]I love my [Fm]freedom, and I [C]guess I always [A7]will But when I [D]see that old [D7]moon I rea[G]lize I love you [G7]still {c:chorus then outro: repeat last two lines}
3.
What's Wrong with This Picture? 03:15
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The usual [C]crowd / the usual [G]plan Same song on the [Am]jukebox same drink in my [F]hand The usual [C]place / no smile on my [G]face What's wrong with this [C]picture [F] [C] [G] I couldn't [C]wait to get you a[G]lone I knew that [Am]someday I'd make you my [F]own Thought this was the [C]night But something ain't [G]right What's wrong with this [C]picture [F] [C] [C7] {c:B part} I must've been [F]blind / or out of my [Fm]mind to [C]think that you cared for [C7]me You never said [F]so / but didn't you [Fm]know The [D]way it was [D7]supposed to [G]be I'm forcing a [C]smile / you're looking so [G]fine Don't know how to [Am]tell him You were meant to be [F]mine You're holding his [C]hand / I can't under[G]stand What's wrong with this [C]picture [F] [C] [C7] {c:verse break then B part} I must've been [F]blind / or out of my [Fm]mind to [C]think that you cared for me [C7] You never said [F]so / but didn't you [Fm]know The [D]way it was [D7]supposed to [G]be I'm forcing a [C]smile / you're looking so [G]fine Don't know how to [Am]tell him You were meant to be [F]mine You're holding his [C]hand / I can't under[G]stand What's wrong with this [C]picture [F] [C] [G7] {c:outro} You walk out the [C]door / I'm lonely once [G]more What's wrong with this [C]picture [F] [C] [G7][C]
4.
Eye of The Needle 02:11
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Well the sun is my lantern and the moon is my shield And I've got everything I really need Somehow the wind has brought me the seeds of a hunger and I'm gettin' this feeling that there ought to be more than the view that I'm seeing out of my back door more and more at night I hear the thunder livin' in the middle of a dry land Texas hurricane and the wind keeps whistling closer to my fears and I'm spinnin' my wheels in the eye of the needle and I'm wonderin' how I'll ever leave this calm take my chances on the storm and ride the wind livin' in the middle of a dry land Texas hurricane and the wind keeps whistling closer to my fears and I'm spinnin' my wheels in the eye of the needle and I'm wonderin' how I'll ever leave this calm take my chances on the storm and ride the wind take my chances on the storm and ride the wind
5.
Jesus, Pride, And Dixie 04:01
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Old John rockin’ on the porch Momma standin’ by the stove I aint been home in seven years But I know they haven’t changed Shoes kick up the red clay dust Evening wakes a whippoorwill And Jesus, Pride, and Dixie They’re living in me still When these city lights come on I think of maybe goin’ home But the roads out south of Memphis They go back a year a mile To memories of better days And empty pockets dreams can’t fill But Jesus, Pride, and Dixie They’re living in me still Oh Lord watch over Dixie and spare old Coon Dog John To take care of the house and land and Momma while I’m gone In this world sometimes I aint the best that I could be But Jesus, Pride, and Dixie they’re still alive in me Someday when the work’s all done While they rock a red sundown They’ll look up from their talkin’ I’ll be walkin’ down that road ‘Cause love can turn your footsteps home And sure as passin’ time it will If Jesus, Pride, and Dixie Are livin’ in you still Oh Lord watch over Dixie and spare old Coon Dog John To take care of the house and land and Momma while I’m gone In this world sometimes I aint the best that I could be But Jesus, Pride, and Dixie they’re still alive in me Jesus, Pride, and Dixie
6.
Bridges 02:29
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There are bridges, [A]bridges [E]in the [A]sky, They're [E]shining [B7]in the [E]sun They are stone and [A]steel and [E]wood and [A]wire, They can [E]change two [B7]things to [E]one. They are [B]languages and [C#m]letters, They are [A]poetry and [B]awe, They are [E]love and [A]under[E]standing, [A]And they're [E]better [B7]than a [E]wall. They are languages and letters, They are poetry and awe, They are love and understanding, And they're better than a wall. There are canyons, there are canyons, They are yawning in the night, They are rank and bitter anger, And they're all devoid of light. They are fear and blind suspicion, They are apathy and pride, They are dark and so foreboding, And they're oh so very wide. They are fear and blind suspicion, They are apathy and pride, They are dark and so foreboding, And they're oh so very wide. Let us build a bridge of music, Let us cross it with a song, Let us span another canyon, Let us right another wrong. Oh and if someone should ask us, Where we're off and bound today, We will tell them, "Building Bridges", And be off and on our way. Oh and if someone should ask us, Where we're off and bound today, We will tell them, "Building Bridges", And be off and on our way. We will tell them, "Building Bridges", And be off and on our way.
7.
Twelve Disciples 02:43
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[Am]A man came to Galilee and walking beside the sea [G]He saw some fishermen with nets in their [Am]hands He called to them that day and what they heard him say was [G]come follow me I'll make you fishers of [Am]men {c:chorus} There was Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew [G]James son of Zebedee and his brother [Am]John Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew [G]James Alphaeous whose surname was Thaddeous [Am]Simon the Canaanite and [G]Judas Is[Am]cariot Twelve, [G]twelve were [Am]called He called them together and he gave them the power to [G]heal pain and sickness and to cast evil [Am]out He sent them as messengers to heal and to spread the word that [G]all of the prophesies would soon come a[Am]bout {c:chorus} There was Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew [G]James son of Zebedee and his brother [Am]John Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew [G]James Alphaeous whose surname was Thaddeous [Am]Simon the Canaanite and [G]Judas Is[Am]cariot Twelve, [G]twelve were [Am]called These twelve were like you and I unsure of live and scared to die [G]he told them he had come so we might be [Am]saved he said all men are brothers and love one another and [G]be not afraid for I am with you al[Am]ways {c:chorus} There was Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew [G]James son of Zebedee and his brother [Am]John Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew [G]James Alphaeous whose surname was Thaddeous [Am]Simon the Canaanite and [G]Judas Is[Am]cariot Twelve, [G]twelve were [Am]called
8.
Not For the Love I Can Take 04:50
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As [Em]I was out walking one [D]late, lonely [Em]night [C]Looking for [D]something like [Em]love A beautiful lady ap[D]peared at my [Em]side With the [C]loveliness [D]dreams are made [Em]of She [G]looked in my [A]eyes and she [C]saw through my [Em]mind [G]She said "I [A]know what you [B7]need" Then [Em]she held my face in the [D]palm of her [Em]hands and [C]whispered these [D]words to [Em]me {c:Chorus} I will love you completely with [D]all that I am I will [C]love you with[D]out re[Em]straint I will love you because of the [D]love I can [Em]give And [C]not for the [D]love I can [Em]take [G]All for the [A]love I can give and [C]not for the [D]love I can [Em]take {c:turnaround} She drew me down softly and held me so close It was almost a dream coming true But as we lay quietly in each other's arms Something was missing I knew Then she lifted her head from my shoulder and said "If you want all that love can be Then just as I've given myself unto you So you must give yourself to me" {c:Chorus} I awoke with a start in the depths of the dark And I found it was only a dream Then I realized as I looked in your eyes That you were right there beside me And we were all linked in a loving embrace You and the vision and I And I swear by the lesson I learned in my dream I'll love you like this 'til I die {c:Chorus}
9.
Further and Further Away 04:26
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I can see the place where I came from I can hear those sounds right now I can find the paths I used to run And believe I still know how Then I shake my head, clearing my vision I keep those scenes at bay And I can see the place where I came from Slipping further and further away And I can feel the way I used to feel When the world was small and green And you sang a song of soft appeal And I curled into my dream Then I shake my head, clearing my vision I keep those scenes at bay And I can feel the way I used to feel Slipping further and further away Time keeps moving faster and faster I'm not losing track I'm afraid that something's forgotten So I keep looking back I can hear the songs you used to sing I can swear I won't let go You were strong and you knew everything That was all I had to know Then I shake my head, clearing my vision I keep those scenes at bay And I can hear the songs you used to sing Slipping further and further away
10.
Tiny Fish for Japan 03:15
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Where Patterson Creek's muddy waters run down Past the penny arcades, by the harbour downtown All the old Turtlebacks rust in the rain Like they never will leave there again But leave there they will in the hours before dawn Slip out in the darkness without word or song; For a few more years yet they will work while they can To catch tiny fish for Japan No white fish or trout here, we leave them alone The inspectors raise hell if we take any home What kind of fisherman can't eat his catch Or call what he's taken his own? [Verse 2] But the plant works three shifts now. There's plenty of pay We ship seventeen tons of this garbage each day If we want to eat fish, then we'll open a can And catch tiny fish for Japan In the Norfolk Hotel over far too much beer The old guys remember when the water ran clear No poisons with names that we can't understand And no tiny fish for Japan... So the days run together. Each one is the same And it's good that the smelt have no lovelier name It's all just a job now, we'll work while we can To catch tiny fish for Japan And we'll catch tiny fish for Japan
11.
Mary Ellen Carter 04:55
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She went down last October in a pouring driving rain The skipper, he'd been drinking and, the Mate, he felt no pain Too close to Three Mile Rock, and she was dealt her mortal blow And the Mary Ellen Carter settled low There were five of us aboard her when she finally was awash We'd worked like hell to save her all heedless of the cost And the groan she gave as she went down, it caused us to proclaim That the Mary Ellen Carter would rise again Well, the owners wrote her off, not a nickel would they spend She gave twenty years of service, boys, then met her sorry end But insurance paid the loss to us so let her rest below Then they laughed at us and said we had to go But we talked of her all winter, some days around the clock For she's worth a quarter million afloat and at the dock And with every jar that hit the bar we swore we would remain And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again Rise again, rise again That her name not be lost to the knowledge of men All those who loved her best and were with her 'til the end Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again All spring, now, we've been with her on a barge lent by a friend Three dives a day in hard hat suit, and twice I've had the bends Thank God it's only sixty feet and the currents here are slow Or I'd never have the strength to go below But we've patched her rents, stopped her vents, dogged hatch and porthole down Put cables to her, fore and aft, and girded her around Tomorrow, noon, we hit the air and then take up the strain And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again Rise again, rise again That her name not be lost to the knowledge of men All those who loved her best and were with her 'til the end Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again For we couldn't leave her there, you see, to crumble into scale She'd saved our lives so many times living through the gale And the laughing, drunken rats who left her to a sorry grave They won't be laughing in another day And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain And, like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again Rise again, rise again Though your heart it be broken or life about to end No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again Rise again, rise again Though your heart it be broken or life about to end No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again

about

By college, I had fallen headfirst into the lively Texas music scene. I got an acoustic guitar for my 21st birthday and started learning to play songs from Townes Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker LP’s. Within a year I’d written my first song.

In 1981, living in Midland, Texas, I saw a poster for the Kerrville Folk Festival and suggested to my girlfriend that we go. A year later I had quit my job and broken up with her, so I went back by myself. On the first afternoon, I played a couple of original songs at the Ballad Tree. Afterward, another musician complimented me on my songs and invited me to join the circle around the nearby campfire at Camp Moco Verde. Soon I was formally initiated as a camp member. I had found a new extended family..

I made the pilgrimage to Quiet Valley Ranch 30+ times between 1981 and 1999. The songs I heard at the theater and campfires became the soundtrack of my life. One personal highlight came in 1985 when I played two original songs from the main stage, as a finalist in the New Folk songwriting contest.

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released April 16, 2024

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Richard Bowdon Cary, North Carolina

A prolific singer-songwriter over four decades, Richard Bowdon carries forward the best Americana traditions of country, rock, blues, and folk.

Richard was selected three times for the Kerrville New Folk songwriting competition.

Richard performs at festivals, parties, showcases, restaurants, wineries, and brewpubs in the NC Triangle area. ... more

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