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Tape From Minnesota

by Bob Frey

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1.
Rachel 04:26
(Chorus) Rachel, dear Rachel, the river's on fire Black smoke is rising, I can see it for miles Rachel, dear Rachel, tell me what have you done Don't you see all the trouble you've caused The news hit me quickly of her secret demise To the depths of her darkest disease I was battered and tainted, but I was not surprised See, we always lived quite carelessly But, those who preceded us fell where we stood We were younger, it set us apart And, I always believed in her more than i should have it had been that way right from the start (Chorus) I remember the nights in the back-alley bars I believed what i wanted to hear Walking home as the streetlights gave way to the dawn Moving slowly and keeping her near Through hushed innuendo and vagabond tales With a laugh and a toss of her hair In the face of the innocent, both of us failed Turn around, to see nobody there And, an alibi each to prepare (Chorus) The flowers still grow that you planted that spring Near the boulevard off of the square I think of you sometimes, like a place that I visited But, will not return to again You, like your Mother, so cruel and absurd As all that surrounded you burned Me, like a beggar in the company of strangers i'm wondering which way to turn (Chorus)
2.
Mardi Gras 05:55
Through the rain on the window of the corner cafe i watched and i waited, I was feeling afraid For, what could I tell you? What could you say? I slowly got drunk as the hour grew late I remember you wore a raincoat on the Fourth of July We sat by the lake, the people passed by Your body was shaking, your hand was in mine Your mouth tasted wet as I kissed you goodbye (Chorus) Now, it's only pieces I recall The crazy couple fighting in the hall All them ghosts you always thought you saw And, the Mardi Gras On a train, in a station, and the snow falling down 'Neath a bridge, in the Valley, there was no one around Driving hours to the ocean with the money you scrounged From your sister's new boyfriend before they slipped underground You found that upstairs apartment, on the corner, we could barely afford Met you friends, at the college, and we slept on the floor I read the postcard you sent and I burned it and I waited for more Watched you dance at the wedding, then I ducked out the door (Chorus) Now, it's only pieces I recall You sang your songs for quarters on the mall All your Father's stories from the war And, the Mardi Gras New York City seems cold, in the winter, I remember your face At a bar, in the Village, so hard to erase California seems far, but I'm lonely, and I feel out of place I always believed you understood my mistakes (Chorus)
3.
Such a fire in the winter chill Out of nowhere I can feel it still, all burned down Standing ragged at the backdoor screen I fell lightly in a basement dream, all unwound Though no one waited, I did not stay long At a table somewhere in betweeen Second chances and a mystery, she came in late With her hair back, like she used to do Once a lover, now, just once removed and, once again When the bottle broke I could not look away (Chorus) I'll send a tape from Minnesota I found a picture I forgot to show you A song I never got to sing in them broken days All the money I saved is gone It wasn't much, but it lasted long She was never the one, I figured out on the run, when I was miles away Much too old to say I was too young And, of all the things that I have done I am not proud But, I think I feel it coming 'round Yeah, I think I'm finally coming down from all that stuff If the aim is righteous, then let the shot be true (Chorus)
4.
They're driving across the country in somebody's drive-away They're heading East to West Just like they said they would someday They ain't leaving much behind them 'cept the bills they couldn't pay They left before the dawn Felt like they were in some movie making an escape She says, "The road will take us where we want to go" She asks how he is feeling he says, "I don't know" "But, it sure feels right to be with you, to be sitting here right next to you..." "And, Mary, suddenly I do not feel so old" Jimmy does the driving, it used to be his job, But, each time payday came It felt like he was being robbed Mary tells him stories 'til her head begins to nod He dreams while she's asleep About a place he doesn't know where life won't be so hard He says, "I swear to God I'll get us there somehow" "if it's the last thing that i do before they lay me down" And, as the dawn is breaking on the plains, Mary stirs and she awakes He says, "We're on our way, we're crossing Kansas now" The road seems like forever, past the fields and the signs She reads a paperback Sometimes she quotes a line He says, "I think we'll see the mountains in a couple hours time" She turns and smiles at him She says, "I know there's something waiting for us on the other side" He says, "Sometimes I thought we'd never get away" "I felt like I was dying, had to leave that place" "I'm not sure where we're going to, but, I 'm glad I'm going there with you" And they keep on driving 'cross the Kansas plains
5.
Old & Gray 04:15
It's early in the morning, we used to wake up late I kiss you and I rise to start my day Same routine most every morn, but that don't bother me at all I'll love you, darling, 'til we're old and gray I used to be a younger man, a younger man with younger plans I would dream about the things that I might do Plans and dreams and little schemes, now they've all changed a bit, it seems Where once was one, there now is room for two (Bridge) The first time that I saw you, I knew I'd fall in love with you Now, every time I kiss you, Mama, it still feels like brand new The world is sometimes crazy, the world is sometimes hard The world is sometimes beautiful, it's true For all that I don't understand, I know that I'm a lucky man To be with one as beautiful as you... To live with one as beautiful as you... To love with one as beautiful as you...
6.
Me & Cyn 05:34
I used to meet her on Saturdays Bloody Mary, breakfast queen She was, oh, so young, and coming undone Me, a bit older, and a song to be sung She chased a dream out of Buffalo Me, from Cleveland, both just off the road The Winter was hard, we spent it in the bars Waiting for Spring and making plans from afar (Chorus) Now, it's Cyndy how's it going these days I hear you're getting married in the Fall Cyndy, all them folks we used to see I barely do remember them at all Sometimes I end up where we used to go Not much has changed, 'cept I'm not out much anymore But, I hear little bits of news, I'm sure you hear some, too I should not mourn the passing years, but sometimes I still do (Chorus)
7.
Go to sleep, my little one Go to sleep, my darling son Go to sleep, my little one We'll see you when the morning comes We'll see you when the morning comes When you awake you'll see the morning sun We'll see you when the morning comes I'll play you music and your Mom will sing you songs I'll play you music and your Mom will sing you songs Perhaps, we'll go out walking with the dogs I'll play you music and your Mom will sing you songs Before you know, another day is done Before you know, another day is done You're looking awfully tired, little one Before you know, another day is done So, go to sleep, my little one Go to sleep, my little one Go to sleep, my darling son Go to sleep, my little one We'll see you when the morning comes
8.
Let me slip into the shadows Let me slowly disappear Let me leave you with a story It's the one you want to hear I hear the echoes of the sirens I know soon I have to go Leave me up, leave me down, leave me standing Leave me something I can hold Never have I felt so weary Never have I felt so far All these places, they look strange to me Though I've seen them all before I know friends they have deceived me I know secrets have been told Leave me up, leave me down, leave me standing Leave me something I can hold
9.
(Boston) 05:02
She says she thinks she wants to move to Boston I say I'm not so sure See, it took some time for me to feel at home here And, that's a feeling that ain't easy to ignore But, she don't know if she can live here anymore She says a lifetime is a long time in the same place Though, it's true, she's been around She says, "I always end up back here and it's a slow pace" "In this dirty little town" "Where everything occurs without a sound" Was it all just a dream? The time that you fell... Now, it's perfect confusion, nobody to tell The castle is crumbling and nothing to sell But, she hides it so well Now, the leaves have turned to fire and the circle Where we walk is still the same She says she can't believe another year has come and gone But, still nothing much has changed She disappears a little more with every day It's a piece of someone else's conversation She ain't made sense of yet It's the vision that seemed so clear, just this morning Now, it's so easy to forget It's another day of dealing indirect With another non-committal silhouette I found a charm, it was lying on the sidewalk So, I gave it to you You said you didn't need it I said, "I think you do..." And I, I could use some good luck, too Me and you...
10.
Arctic Blue 04:36
In 1992, her eyes were arctic blue Her hair was long, like silk And it was woven through that whole year At first, I'd only stare, she used to see me standing there Without a word to say I'd hold her eyes until she looked away One day, I finally spoke, I felt like I'd explode She said, "You stare at me..." I said, "You're perfect like I've never seen" She asked me, "Are the stories true?" "All these things I hear about you..." I said, "They probably are..." "Precious one, you probably oughtta run far..." But, see, she stuck around, she claimed me from the lost and found She saw the good in me She told me all the things that I could be But, me, I had this thing inside, the Beast that wouldn't be denied The Fury that could never sleep Don't you know, the Demon lives deep... I was just a kid back then, but I was old enough to understand I knew that she could never stay I knew one day I'd drive her far away But, back in '92, her eyes were arctic blue I was far from clean She was perfect like I'd never seen
11.
Rose 05:00
Down a cobblestone alley in old Boston town I walked as a young man through the rain falling down I spied a young maiden, she beckoned to me Said, "Come in from the rain and sit down, rest your road-weary feet" I said, "Thank you, dear lady, it's true I am tired" "In the course of a fortnight, I have walked many miles" I asked her her name, and in a voice soft but clear She answered, "My name it is Rose and you're most welcome here..." Rose was a beauty such as i'd never seen She had hair long and brown and her eyes sparkled green In the time that it took her to fix me some tea I knew I had fallen for Rose and her eyes sparkling green I asked her, "Dear Rose, why no ring do I see?" "Many offers to marry you must have received..." "Please take no offense, but I've searched all my life" "And, I'm sure that, dear Rosie, it's you who I want for my wife" She said, "It is true, I have often been asked..." "But, each time, I've been forced to decline" "As with the others, I will give you your chance" "To answer three questions of mine" I asked her, "Dear Rose, tell me, what can they be?" "These questions you speak of, please ask them to me" "For you see, my dear lady, I surely must try" "To give you the answers you seek and to make you my bride" She said, "Tell me, young fellow, if a man is quite poor" "How can he place piles of gold at my door?" "How can a man capture the wind in the trees?" "And, how can a poor man give the sparkle of diamonds to me?" I said, "Rose, it is true, just a poor man I am" "But, answer your questions, I believe that I can" "I will plant you a garden with flowers so gold" "When they bloom in the Springtime I'll place them in piles at your door" "And, how can I capture the wind in the trees?" "I will make you a chime, it will sing in the breeze" "And, the sparkle of diamonds, you shall have it, most sure' "For, three children we'll have and their eyes, love, will sparkle like yours" She said, "My dear man, you have answered quite well" "To marry you is my desire" Now, I'm still a poor man, but my life's quite content Living with Rose and our children and their sparkling eyes
12.
Red-Right 88 18:53
I grew up in Ohio, on the shores of a Great Lake In a city name of Cleveland, some people called it a mistake But, me, I never thought that, no, I never understood I loved the city, I loved its teams, it didn't matter if they were good In baseball we had the Indians, they almost always finished last They'd contended in the Fifties, but that seemed so far in the past The Cavaliers played basketball, though, most often, not so well Team's owner was so terrible, the league stepped in and made him sell it It was unprecedented... Yeah, Cleveland had its basketball, it had its baseball, too But, it loved its football team the most, and me, I loved 'em, too The heartbeat of the City, they were called the Cleveland Browns I cannot impress what that team meant to a struggling old steel town Remember Jimmy Brown? The Browns they had a glorious past, just like the town itself From Lou the toe to Otto Graham to old Paul Brown himself When the city fell upon hard times in the 1970s They reminded us of what we'd been and what we still could be (CHORUS) I grew up a Cleveland fan and it's what I'll always be I learned to love the underdog and I learned about loyalty Cleveland fans, they understand it's more than just a game Of all those losses none was worse than Red-Right 88 My folks had season tickets, but they only had a pair I'd ride in on Daddy's shoulders, the ushers never cared When I got too big to ride Mom let me take her seat Then my brother rode on Daddy's back, it was Jimmy, Dad, and me Just two seats to hold us three The Browns were not that great then, but they always came to play These are my fondest memories, all those Cleveland football days In that big old stadium, there'd be 80,00 there Row M of Section 29 and magic in the air Nothing can compare In the Fall of 1980, they were looking pretty good I turned 14 that October and I read everything I could About that Cleveland football team and a quarterback named Sipe Though it seemed impossible, the playoffs were in sight I started thinking, "Hey, they just might..." They beat the hated Steelers, they beat the Bengals twice Though they lost to Denver, they put up quite a fight I watched 'em beat the Packers on a final second pass Brian Sipe to ol' Dave Logan, we went crazy in the stands Me and Mom and all those fans I cannot describe that season, no, you wouldn't believe those games All those final second victories, they earned the team a name The Kardiac Kids we called 'em, and it seemed that they were blessed They finished with 11 wins, that year the Central's best That year Cleveland was the best That year we were the best The Browns had made the playoffs, they were division champs They had homefield advantage and it seemed they had a chance To make it to the Super Bowl, to make our city proud The Browns were knocking at the door, and they were knocking loud I still get excited now On a January morning, in 1981 Dad and I, we rode the train, a father and a son We walked down to the stadium to watch that playoff game The Browns against the Raiders, and it was bitter cold that day The wind came swirling off the lake I mean it, it was bitter cold, but the players had to play Missed kicks and interceptions, it was quite an ugly game Neither team could pull away, the score was always tight But, they'd won these kind of games all year and I thought they'd be alright 'Least, I hoped they'd be alright... At the end of three full quarters, Cleveland had the lead The score was 12 to 7, and we were freezing in our seats When Oakland scored a touchdown to go ahead by two Then, we fumbled on our 25, looked like the Browns were through I bet Oakland thought so, too But, the Browns still had some magic left, you better bet that we believed We stopped 'em on a fourth and 1 inside our own 15 When the offense got the ball back with two minutes left to play It seemed like it was scripted, like it had to be this way The whole season had been this way... We were waiting on a miracle, and it seemed like it might come As the Browns began to drive the field in that frozen stadium They made it to the Oakland 12, they were in field goal range Run it once, then kick the ball, and put the game away But, that's when things got strange They'd already missed kicks that day, they didn't wan to try again 'Least not if they didn't have to 'cause there were other ways to win As they huddled on the sidelines, we huddled in the stands Coach Rutigliano, he came up with a plan He was known as "Gamblin' Sam" Sam, he told his quarterback, "Hey, here's what we're gonna do" "The play is Red-Right 88, and I'll leave it up to you" "Take one shot at the end zone, but only if it's safe" "If you don't see someone open, then throw the ball away" "Just throw it in the lake" It felt like I was in a dream, as we sat there, Dad and me The Browns were gonna win the game, it was too much to believe 'Cause if the Browns could get this victory, they'd be just one game away From going to the Super Bowl, after all those years of waiting All those years of keeping faith... The teams both took the field, DeLeone, he snapped the ball Sipe dropped back, looked right, then left, this is what he saw Ozzie Newsome in the endzone, Ozzie Newsome with a step Sipe cocked back and threw the ball, here's what happened next You could probably guess... The ball got caught up in the wind, Ozzie Newsome slipped The defender reached him, saw the ball, and stepped in front of it He made the interception, his teammates gathered round The stadium fell silent, no one made a sound Ozzie lay there on the ground... We sat there stunned, in disbelief, if felt like it got colder As we watched the players leave the field, I think I grew a little older I learned that sometimes heroes fall, but heroes they remain In defeat, there's honor to be found, there's honor and there's pain It was so quiet on the train... I remember Ozzie Newsome, I remember Brian Sipe I remember Reggie Rucker, and the Pruitts- Greg and Mike Clay Matthews and Thom Darden, Clarence Scott and Charlie Hall The Kardiac Kids of 1980, I still love 'em all Even Sam, despite that call That game was 20 years ago, I've grown and moved away My parents live in Michigan, my brother in L.A. We all still love the Cleveland Browns, it's a lifelong loyalty They still ain't made the Super Bowl, but that's okay with me They will someday, you'll see...

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All acoustic, just Bob with guitar and harmonica and an awesome batch of songs...

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released May 1, 2004

Bob Frey - Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica

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Bob Frey Minneapolis, Minnesota

Bob Frey is a longtime devotee to the art of writing and performing songs. His unique and memorable voice immediately engages his audience, the perfect vehicle for his wry, intelligent lyrics.
On each of these albums, Bob shows himself to be a versatile writer, his simple folk melodies forming a sound and solid base for his poetic observations and stories. He is the brother of author James Frey.
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