Ashgrove

Dave Alvin
(Blue Horn Toad Music, BMI)

Well when I was a young boy
I used to slip away
Down to the ashgrove
To hear the old blues men play
There was Big Joe and Lightninâ?
And Reverend Gary too
Well Iâ? d sit and stare and dream
Of doinâ? what they could do.

Well itâ? s been thirty years since the ashgrove burned down
And Iâ? m out on this highway travelinâ? town to town
Tryinâ? to make a livinâ?
Tryinâ? to pay the rent
Tryinâ? to figure out where my life went.

I wanna go back to the ashgrove
Thatâ? s where I come from
I wanna go back to the ashgrove
Thatâ? s where I belong.

Well you donâ? t have to go searchinâ?
Pretend to put on airs
â? Cause the blues are gonna find you someday, somewhere
Now my motherâ? s gone
Now my fatherâ? s gone
And all the old blues men have all passed on
And Iâ? m out on this highway travelinâ? town to town
Settinâ? up my gear and then Iâ? m tearinâ? it down
Turninâ? up my guitar
Standinâ? on the stage
Iâ? m just tryinâ? to raise the ghosts up out of their graves.

I wanna go back to the ashgrove
Thatâ? s where I come from
Yeah I wanna go back to the ashgrove
Thatâ? s where I belong.

Well I canâ? t say I been all sinner
Canâ? t say I been all saint
Iâ? ve done some good deeds and Iâ? ve made big mistakes
I been in and out of love
Said words I regret
I been drunk, been sober
Smoked too many cigarettes
And Iâ? m out on this highway travelinâ? town to town
And the news on the radio just brings me down
Intolerance and fear
Ignorance and lies
Itâ? s the same old same old I heard a million times
And Iâ? m thinkinâ? of friends and lovers
And how they come and go
Like look-alike houses on the side of the road
Full of everyday people tryinâ? to get ahead
Tryinâ? to find a reason just to get out of bed
â? Cause we all need somethinâ? just to get us through
Well Iâ? m gonna play the blues tonight man
â? Cause thatâ? s what I do.

Iâ? m goinâ? back to the Ashgrove
Thatâ? s where I come from
Iâ? m goinâ? back to the Ashgrove
Thatâ? s where I belong.