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Train of Thought

by Chris Williams

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Design by David Kane
    Photography by David Kane (outside) and Scott Haddad (inside)

    Includes digital pre-order of Train of Thought. You get 13 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
    digital album releases August 21, 2017
    item ships out within 5 days
    edition of 300 

      $10 USD or more 

    You own this  

     

  • Digital Album
    Streaming + Download

    Pre-order of Train of Thought. You get 13 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
    Purchasable with gift card
    releases August 21, 2017

      $10 USD  or more

    You own this

     

1.
what makes you think you can get away with it? your web of lies just don’t make sense You convince yourself That nothing is wrong But your double life Is gonna come undone When the fire goes out And the smoke blows away away I know where you were, but I wasn’t gonna say Everyone knows More than they can prove You know what you have You know what you would lose But you still think you can get away with it just a matter of time you know you're gonna slip you let it go as far as you could take it pushed it to the point when things start breaking You only live once You know you have to choose You know what you have And know what you would lose You know what you would lose
2.
She's Gone 03:18
Well she’s gone, yeah it’s over, gone forever gone away No tomorrow or the next one No she won’t be back some day Our hearts and our memories Will never be the same But still it’s just all over And will never be again She’s gone, gone, gone Can’t step in that stream anymore She’s gone, gone, gone Can’t feel like we did before She’s gone, gone, gone There was a time she walked with me Down by the river’s edge And kisses untold flowed like water underneath the bridge but darkness fell and we both turned and went our separate ways but that won’t change the way we felt I loved her on that day She’s gone she’s gone And I don’t want to wait too long To let go and move on She’s gone She’s gone There’s nothing left, but this song I never took a second look or cared another night But I can still see her blue lips And her unblinking eyes No one ever saw us and nothing more was said as I watched her drift away beneath the gentle waves
3.
was just about to tell you about my secret plans this one is simple but brilliant something anyone could understand but I lost my train of thought I lost my train of thought When I saw you when I started talking I could not articulate all of my thought and feeling the words jut would not cooperate then I lost my train of thought I lost my train of thought When I saw you well, I knew I would lose my heart, too I was relieved of my duties I was relieved of my pain when I saw you standing there smiling at me it was like a warm summer rain but I lost my train of thought I lost my train of thought When I saw you
4.
thinking out loud "why'd i go out in this storm?" i hate the crowds I love the empty sea shore why down you come down? don't leave me alone under the radar we hang out in your car and talk over the radio 'til it gets dark we just went nowhere took so long to get there we never have to go out we’re laying low under the radar we’re laying low wondering now "why don't i pick up the phone?" we're missing out you’ll hate yourself if you don’t you don’t have to love me but don’t leave me alone under the radar we hang out in your car and talk over the radio 'til it gets dark we just went nowhere took so long to get there we never have to go out we’re laying low under the radar we’re laying low
5.
Desert Town 03:28
Closing the apartment door Rolling down the window Packing up Los Angeles heading south of Barstow East of San Bernadino Out into the barren land Parallel universe can you feel the lanes merge? Intersection, must slow down to the pace of this desert town Clouds meet the ridge line Boulders touching the sky line Heat waves cool down slow Night birds fly around Wind has finally died down Fire is heaving smoke Desert sky turns gold Just before the evening cold Blankets wrap colors around The warm glow of this desert town When the daylight comes We’ll go back to where we’re from Until the wanderlust blows us away just like dust We’re going out like stars tonight We’re gonna light up this whole sky Whoa-wo-o-o-o-oh Whoa-wo-o-o-o-oh Open like the apartment door Rolling down the window
6.
Waning Sun 03:47
In the waning sun of the afternoon Think your day is done, but you spoke too soon Here the colors come But it’s mostly blue In the waning sun of the afternoon If you need a ride I’ll pick you up at 4:30 let me know If you need a ride I’ll pick you up at 4:30 We’ll make a beer run and forget about your worries If you need a ride I’ll pick you up at 4:30 let me know We’re gonna talk about natural disasters don’t you know We’re gonna talk about natural disasters What cha gonna do but pick up the pieces after We’re gonna talk about natural disasters that’s for sure We’re gonna talk about illegal immigration don’t you know We’re gonna talk about illegal immigration If you’re not white you’re going down to the station We’re gonna talk about illegal immigration that’s for sure We’re gonna talk about celebrities in rehab don’t cha know We’re gonna talk about celebrities in rehab When you’ve got it good why ya have to make it so bad We’re gonna talk about celebrities in rehab that’s for sure We’re gonna talk about son and daughters don’t ya know We’re gonna talk about son and daughters She looks like her mother but acts just like her father We’re gonna talk about son and daughters that’s for sure We’re gonna talk about relationship disasters don’t cha know We’re gonna talk about relationship disasters I know what she said, but it’s what he did that matters We’re gonna talk about relationship disasters that’s for sure There is room for everybody at the table don’t cha know There is room for everybody at the table Get another chair and pull those two together There is room for everybody at the table that’s for sure In the waning sun of the afternoon Think your day is done, but you spoke too soon Here the colors come But it’s mostly blue In the waning sun of the afternoon
7.
More or Less 03:32
This is what seven feels like When you go to bed at four lights are a little too bright still you wanted just one more her comes another cab ride unless she says “I’ll take you home” And you got more or less what you want; she said yes It was not for the best But it was more or less what you want felt the fog roll in I guess the night got cold Getting up to piss again Man, this is getting old Her dog wants to go out The light wants to come in shower’s slowly getting hot Alarm goes off again And you got more or less what you want; you confess It was not for the best But again, I digress Light wants to come in, but we want let it Just forget it - never again Leaving unnoticed, the door closes And it’s darker than it’s ever been And you got more or less what you want; no regrets It was not for the best Pretty good, yeah I guess It was not for the best But it was more or less what you want This is what seven feels like
8.
Illusion 02:52
there's a movie within the movie but it's not up on the screen playing nightly in my head every single dream but when you wake and see things differently it's just an illusion ¬ can't you see you know this isn't real life it all seems so absurd but you never question anything in this world feel the magic become reality it's just an illusion can't you see they do it for the gold they did it for the green the do it for the people who watch it in TV they do it fir the fortune they do it for the fame and when it's all over they feel just the same it's just an illusion can't you see The story's never over there is no final scene You think you’ve got it covered it feels so incomplete that's just your perception it's not reality it's just an illusion can't you see
9.
Open up the window When it starts to rain Now you know how it feels To release your pain I’m try to focus You’re drifting in and out of frame Feel the distance something’s different Something’s different in the air A cloud of radiation Filling in the empty space Excruciating Slow pace of change Maybe you found someone? I don’t know and you won’t say Feel the distance something’s different Something’s different in the air in the air
10.
good times, bad choices you can write that on a rock above my grave good times, bad choices yes, we had some fun along the way sometimes the good life just cannot be saved daddy was a stand up guy mamma was just sweet and kind can't blame them for making me this way brother, sisters - hearts of gold might have smoked once I've been told can't blame them for leading me astray they could not account for my sins the first time or every time again Yes, I’ve spent some time in jail But that doesn’t mean I’ve failed To live a life that’s good and straight and true But sometimes I disagree With the law and the police Especially when I’ve had a drink of two They would not allow for my sins The first time and every time again And again And again and again and again good times, bad choices
11.
I’m riding shotgun ‘cause I can shoot A glass of whiskey – about 100 proof But I got pulled over – couldn’t walk the line Now I’m riding shotgun and I’m doing fine I’m riding shotgun ‘cause I can’t drive I met this girl in a run down dive Then I met her boyfriend - he punched my eye Now I’m riding shotgun with a bag of ice I’m riding shotgun so I can hunt For another place where we can get drunk I prefer whiskey, but I’ll drink a beer But I’m riding shotgun ‘til the coast is clear
12.
ain't no pride ain't no shame just trying not to worry about mistakes i've made ain't no pride ain't no shame just trying to get back in the game please don't talk to me about that ancient history i don't have no memory of what you're trying to pin on me but i will tell you from the heart I try to finish what i start until it falls apart i keep moving like a shark what you said to me when i was wrapped up in your sheets evoked the imagery of endless possibility but when i found out that you had shared these words with others too i knew that our time was through i had lost my faith in you
13.
the Road 05:06 video
We’re lying in a stand of trees We’re laying low Where no one else could see us Against the cold But they could see our fire Better hope no one comes by here open that last can of hope Glassing the frozen hillside Think we’re alone You see a plume of smoke rise An abandoned home I’m peering through the windows Looks like there’s no one in there Hold the gun while I kick the door You cover that feeling I’ll cover this hole Let’s gather our things so we can Get back on the road Nothing left but embers No match for the cold It’s all for nothing Unless we get back on the road Confronting ravenous, bloodshot hungry eyes Familiar stench as smoke rises against the sky We’ve got just one more bullet So we can’t make a move yet Can’t let them lay one dirty finger on the boy You cover that feeling… I’ll cover this hole Let’s gather our things so we can Get back on the road Nothing left but embers No match for the cold It’s all for nothing Unless you get back on the road We reached the water and it’s dead and black as oil There’s a ship that’s overturned; I’ll swim out to explore We need more provisions I should go back in there You need enough to last until I’m gone Your mother couldn’t stand to see the brutal, harsh decline Without the hope that she would see a new sun rise If you find one good person I want you to stay with them You cover that feeling I’ll cover this hole Let’s gather our things so we can Get back on the road Nothing left but embers No match for the cold

about

Somehow my deep South roots took hold in the West, LA to be exact. The city's assault on the senses drove me to the perimeter, to the mountains and the desert. But the city came with me. So here we are, separated by great distances, but getting closer to the origin. All is not lost. You can always go back. But it will never be the same.

Some of these stories could be true. Some end tragically. Even the stories that are made up just for fun are sadly truthful. There is a retelling of "the Road". There is armchair philosophy. There are songs to be sung on the back porch. There are songs about my friends and family, and songs about myself. All of these songs are the music of fictionalized reality. My reality. Maybe yours?

From all that comes my second solo record, "Train of Thought", released in the summer of 2017. I was considering calling it "Yes and No" because...

Is it a country record? yes and no
does it rock? yes and no
Is it a solo record? yes and no
Well, is there a band? yes and no

It started with just acoustic guitar and vocals in a living room. It exploded into a fully arranged and orchestrated record, thanks to multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire, Bill Bonk (John Prine, Randy Newman, Aimee Mann, et al.) It's not easy listening, but it's easy to listen to. The intimacy of the living room is preserved, but the songs are allowed to wander where they want to go.

credits

releases August 21, 2017

Chris Williams Acoustic guitar, Lead vocals

Bill Bonk Accordion, Balalaika, Banjo, Baritone guitar, Bass, Cellos, Clarinets, Drums, Electric guitars, Flutes, Harmonica, High-strung acoustic guitar, Lap steel, Mandolin, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Tambourine, Violins, Vocal harmonies (all songs except those listed below)

Jim Watts Bass (Illusion, More or Less) Vocal harmonies (1,7,8,9,10,12) Percussion (8,10) Additional programming (1,2,8)

Ethan Allen Piano, Lap steel, Concertina, Electric guitar, Bass, Drum programming (Ain’t No Shame)

All song written by Chris Williams (BMI)

Recorded and mixed by Jim Watts

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Chris Williams Los Angeles, California

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