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Beautiful

by Bill Ludwig

supported by
Joseph Bagwell
Joseph Bagwell thumbnail
Joseph Bagwell As always Bill delivers some great Americana folk songs to relax to. Favorite track: River.
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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Jenny, Rhymes With Banjo, Dark And Troubled Ways, Sinker Line And Hook, Bellbottom Overalls, Ode To A Chinese Spy Balloon, Songs Of Village Charm, (Run On) Shufflin' Joe - Single, and 17 more. , and , .

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1.
Elijah holds a photograph Can't recall the place it shows Looks deep into His own eyes Like a veil held 'tween two times In the picture there's an hourglass Where it runs forevermore In his hand there's a Handkerchief Stitched with flowers down the side Through the grey there's an orange sky In the corner there's a whisper of a cloud Attempting rain Elijah holds a photograph Of a handkerchief an hourglass And a cloud (Instrumental verse) On the ground there's a puddle there Where you can just see a reflection of a girl Smiling wide Elijah folds the photograph He can't remember anything it shows (Bm)
2.
Where were you when the sun went down No more shadows on the ground What do you do With nowhere left to go Where were you when smiles fade And our loved ones turned away Whadja do With nowhere left to go Where were you when they closed the doors And the paychecks they came no more Where you been There's nowhere left to turn And the bills all piled high And the water well ran dry Where did you go With nowhere left to turn Many years I thought we'd be just fine Walking the high wire above it all But the problems down below When we fell swallowed us whole Where did you go Down in the undertow All along I thought we'd see life through Balancing on comfort's edge Yet it seems I had it wrong When the darkness came along What we had was gone And I was left alone
3.
Beautiful 03:45
May the dust that's piled years or more Be absent from your breath And the waters risen round your feet Recede nary a depth May the storm that drowns out every noise Dissolve to sunny climes And hands that dig for cast off scrap Be overfilled with dimes Here's to days Of working short, imbibing tall Endless nights of song May the years go by a painless flash A joyous, royal ball Though the sun may set on youthful eye The aged laugh for all Beautiful The years make it more A life fulfilled Becomes Beautiful The ways through the door Come often With time May the path which falls beneath your feet Be ever clear from stones And your shadow lie before your gaze At your back, the sun she rose For to strain an eye as pretty as The ones your face adorned Would for me to raise my fist to sky And smite that blazing orb Here's to then When crying mouths will laugh again Months of pain forgot And if you would just accept my hand A future we could share Though the road we walk may all but clear Tis better with you there
4.
New York 01:50
Said I came to New York By way of Detroit That Greyhound ticket Took me far from home Spent a month in Cold Creek Dirt roads and bare feet Not a single good night's sleep So, on I roamed ____ That moss done tried to catch This rolling stone While I chase that setting sun Can't get me on the phone Cause I'm a-shufflin' down the road I came to Bridgeport When my career fell short Had myself a new day Looking for one more (Inst break) ____ There's no rust on a spinning wheel That rolls along Gonna grab that moon up high Never rest these aching bones While I'm a-shufflin' down the road And that road goes on and on And I'll a-go until the promised land's my home Found myself in Shreveport Took a left at Beaufort Tryna find me a welcome voice To call me home Oh show me home Gotta find my home
5.
River 03:50
River forms up on the mountain Dripping dew drops on the leaves Puddling and roll down freed Carve a brook along a cold face Gather more along the way Rolling a-down all day Stream a-running down the hillside Frog and fish and green Salamander cold and clean Splash along the wooded meadows Bring a drink to rooted trees Summer sun a blazing steam A turtle snaps and crawfish plays his bow The waterfall must crash on rocks below River flowing through the valley Under bridge and lock and key Winds its way out to the sea
6.
Snapback 06:06
As we wade through raging waters, I don’t mind Find our way ‘round endless corners, I don't mind Another day of hills for climbing, I don’t mind Light of day not here to guide us, I don’t mind As long as we move on together, I’m just fine Lost our peace and lost our quiet, I don’t mind Snarling beasts lash out behind us, I don’t mind As long as we move on together, I’m just fine Life sprouts new when fires end Leaves reach to the sun Underfoot and trampled down Snapback tall and all then lift up those around you… carry on I don’t mind it We carry on I’m just fine, yeah We carry on Carry on
7.
I don’t wanna be here without you Walk the Earth or even find a way Hey hey hey I don’t wanna watch the time roll by You and I cross off calendar days Hey hey hey _____ And if you don’t want to I don’t wanna want to do it anyway Hey hey hey But if you want to come along We’ll be walking hand in hand all day Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Walking hand in hand all day I don’t wanna even go outside Have go alone to face the day Hey hey hey Unless you will come along with me We will dance the endless hours ‘way Hey hey hey _____ And if you don’t want to I don’t wanna want to do it anyway Hey hey hey But if you want to come along We’ll be walking hand in hand all day Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Walking hand in hand all day It’s mostly me who doesn’t want to see the sky I’m happy hanging here all warm and safe inside Here in our happy home that we have made with love Not in the big, bad world with creeping things above So if you would like to go outside Help me find the strength to face today Hey hey hey I need you to run along with me We can jump and skip the miles ‘way Hey hey hey _____ And if you don’t want to I don’t wanna want to do it anyway Hey hey hey But if you want to come along We’ll be walking hand in hand all day Hey hey hey Hey hey hey Walking hand in hand all day
8.
Does this road here go on to the ocean I ask to the man with a dog ‘Cause it’s been far too long Since I heard waves make song But I can’t seem to find the right road Take a left at the blue house in Portland Where the widow stands tall and alone If you see her, please wave And wish her a good day Won’t seem much, but it lightens her load And that road takes a turn at the tavern By an old, white birch tree near Shippan Could you stop in and see If my dear brother still be Tending bar there for our mum and dad It’s a straight shot from there to the seaside With the sting of the salt in your eye And the air fresh and clean When you dig deep and breathe If I could join you I’d sure be obliged A man and a dog climb aboard A weight seeming lifts from the world And onward we roll further toward There’s no more road The length of my passengers age Is counted by the wheels of my stage A coach of whose fare is pre-paid With the lines in his face When the sun sets upon the horizon And the blue turns to stars ‘cross the sky And I’ll lie down to rest Her handkerchief to my chest And a river of tears from my eyes
9.
A flower in the rain It dreams of sunshine all the same Just like when I think of you A bike without a chain Will still go rolling down the lane Just like when I think of you A bird without a feather Will sing a tune in stormy weather Just like when I think of you And a clam without a shell Might rest his eyes there for spell Just like when I think of you (Chorus) Life would be OK if our cups ran dry I don't even mind if the sun don't shine I can face whatever life might throw our way Long as you're here by my side If the flood it was a-rising around our knees You'll still be like pollen to a honey bee Ain't nothing that can bring me down As long as I have you A star without a wish A puddle yearning for a fish Just like when I think of you A cloud that never breaks A dusty skin that lost its snake Just like when I think of you A roof without a shingle Gets a certain kind of tingle Like when I think of you A hole without a button's Pretty sure it's good for nothing Like when I'm without you (Chorus)
10.
At seventeen he drove his bike Up the overpass above the old turnpike A half a pint of whiskey in his coat He propped upright and watched as cars Skittered by like shooting stars Thought a bit ‘bout jumping but he won’t That old grey stone just sitting there He shot it straight up in the air He blinked and it just vanished from his sight He realized then what he had done The crash below him left him stunned And frozen watched approaching flashing lights The cuffs that bit into his wrist They rattled coldly with the twist That wrestled him into the waiting van And off they sped to parts unknown With buzzing lights and old grey stone And bars between the air and this young man ___ No one died, but that's no matter She survived, her sleep got better She was there when he was locked up cold Was then she swore that she'd move on Forget that stone that fell upon her Made her lose her sight and lose control ___ At twenty-six he woke up free The board they voted four to three That he had given time enough I guess And Smith, his Parole Officer Asked what he was released for Did he still have the heart to find success ___ She was there, with him applying She recognized, but she stayed quiet 'cause she'd forgiven him a near decade 'fore And every morn' he walked right through her When she looked up he smiled to her And that shadow she dragged lifted from the floor (her tattoo says) “Get on past the past, my sister” And he gets used to getting called “mister” And one day don’t define what you become Just get on past the past, my sister And all those years of things he missed are Fading with each day out on the run

about

Besides singing songs to his chickens, singer-songwriter Bill Ludwig has spent the past 5 months of quarantine learning to play the mandolin he bought in September, 2020. Instead of taking lessons or following Youtube videos or something sensible like that, Bill decided to plunk away and write a set of songs.

The resulting album features the first 10 songs wrote on this 'new to him' instrument. The challenge here was to write compelling music with limited ability to play the primary instrument - forcing Bill to rely on strong lyrics, vocal melodies and vocal harmonies.

Recorded in Bill's home studio and entirely self-produced, "Beautiful" is a stripped down and raw album whose creation put Bill's songwriting ability to the test.

credits

released April 20, 2021

Written, recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Bill Ludwig

Pretty much everything you hear on this album is performed by Bill Ludwig

Christian Loftus plays a couple two things too.

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about

Bill Ludwig Manchester, Connecticut

The founding member of MARMO (marmoband.bandcamp.com)

But mostly just a guy who writes and records songs... mostly so I have stuff to listen to in my car on the way to and from work.

Sometimes I sing to my chickens.
... more

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