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Mike & Eileen Chapter One

by Mike Roy

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1.
I Never Knew 03:35
July 12, 2004 I never knew you’d come in summer I never knew you’d fall like rain I never knew you’d had to suffer I never knew you’d know such pain but now I know you are indeed the most precious lady ever I seen just can’t believe it’s you I prayed for so many nights before I’d sleep I never knew your beauty’d shake me I never knew it’d make me weep to hold your hand and walk beside you to hear you laugh to kiss your cheek I never knew you’d be so graceful bursting with love for all you see Just one small thing that still eludes me what is it that you see in me? I can’t believe the Lord is this good to bless a sinner like old me With one of His own precious angels to come on down and marry me.
2.
Wisteria 04:12
April 18, May 26, June 17 of 2005 Spring is here again, wisteria's choking them trees I swear that gorgeous bloom is you and them old trees is me I’m sitting here alone all dressed up in my disguise Trying hard just to pretend I believe my own lies Out here the water’s deep, nice way to spend an afternoon Half awake, half asleep, a good ways away from you You’re back home and you’re in pain Setting fire to my old flames In fear that they may rise again You’re saving tears and praying rains On every one of our parades Our ghosts in ghastly pageantry Some of them are ripping out at you And some are digging in to me But that old bloom it don’t last long A blaze of glory and it fades Leaving a mess of vines behind Every time it goes away We must find that bridge to cross to get us to that sweet refrain This endless verse to endless verse is just pain to endless pain And now, the cold is setting in as the dark is rolling down And just like the fool I am won’t ask which way to town But there’s a light up on a pole, glowing strong and true It’s your love singing out to me and it’ll guide me back to you
3.
April 25, 2005 The midnight moon made milk of the old lake late last night I swore I’d never make the same mistake I made it twice clouds are rolling in part ghost, paper-thin I meant to let you win I swear I did, I don’t know what happened A hound dog’s howl softens my scowl it's such a sad sad sound I look for my dignity and I see that it cannot be found I broke it for a laugh and swept up what was left and sold it to some crowd who was standing there screaming loud you left a note and the house so cold it said you went back home and me so young but feeling so old and so all alone please leave me as I am don’t let the screen door slam it’s all been said before this story I know is such a bore Young boy meets young girl, young love shakes all the world And you cannot begin to stop what has begun to unfurl When two are two no more, you see begins a war It’s no fairy tale, it’s real as Hell, and that’s for damn sure The Midnight moon made milk of the old lake late tonight I though you’d be in our bed by now holding your pillow tight but I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be there again shipwrecked on that shore I don’t know what happened
4.
Dec. 6, 2004 You say you didn’t lie Lying here beside… me Tears are in your eyes telling me that I… can leave Busting down the door landing on the floor… in pain cutting with a word much sharper than a sword you are pouring fire on fire Everything will burn, everything in turn and we’ll be lying still. Slap you in the face all of my disgrace… fades Ungodly deeds done measured up in tons… weight that we could never lift Everything will burn, exactly in its turn but will you be beside… What can stop us now Tell me darling how does this train wreck end Cause I can’t seem to find breaks of any kind a cliff is up ahead And sailing through the air do we even care? Look what we’ve become, no it was always there. But that’s now why I hide and that’s not why you cry… we are weeping for ourselves Everything can go down either of two roads We seem to choose all wrong, each and every time I can hear the sound of war-drums as they pound and mount the battle charge and beat us to the ground But when will it all end, when will we just die and leave ourselves behind Oh baby please believe there’s nothing good in me We have to let it go, or we will not survive…
5.
The Road 06:00
Dec. 7, 2004 Why stay here, this screaming it hurts my head The bruises, the bleeding good as dead The pounding, the kicking, the way I hold you down Convulsing, not speaking such an awful sound. And you told me you love me ah, but you don’t And I told you – I’d hold you but baby, here I go… here I go. So short that I’ve known you but long enough For that haze of young love to burn off I hate you – I love you baby which is up How could I do what I’ve done to you if this is love You told me – you love me Ah but you don’t And I told you – I’d hold you but babe here I go… The Road… Tires are worn – hear them dragging like they don’t want me to Turn this way, gas station, just pulling through No music, just heartbeat and hard road ahead Blurred vision, unbearable heat I wish I was dead You told me – you love me what did you think that meant And I swore I’d never hurt you but we see how all that went LOOK OUT The Light That Car The Sound The Roll The Life The Blood The Ground The Road…
6.
Down & Out 04:52
Dec. 6, 2004 Broken, but not all the way Holding on by a thread Hanging on for dear life to a branch that’s falling away waiting for a sign. Hoping, even begun to pray Bowing your head down to the ground Hearing things that seem real until they drift away leaving that empty hallowed sound… Pound… Pound… Pound… Pound. My dear we’ve been all through this You just want things your way No surprises here, I want ‘em mine And we’ll go down tussling all the way with the ship we’re sinking on Down… Down… Down… Down. I could kiss your lips or break your face Brush your hair back from your eyes or pull it out I can be your angel and your demon on the same day Baby there’s only one way out… Out… Out… Out… Out.
7.
Dec. 7, 2004 Christmas lights are up outside but I’m inside I sit to eat my meal prepared, of pity and pride Alone… This beer in my hand is my only friend my only cure Brake the news, I can barely stand upon the floor Snow won’t fall, I wish it would it’d be just like A movie made for on TV, Sunday night Alone… alone… Hot dogs made of turkey meat and old corn chips Are the food I had to eat the night you split I understand just why you left I understand, I do This little test you left for me is more than I can chew You’ve hit the road you left your things you left without your hat These tiny lines are telling me you left with more than that I did you wrong, I know I did I pray I’ll make things right That child belongs to both of us good Lord My head is swimming, my body’s light my skin is wet I’m overjoyed, I’m scared out my mind and desperately Alone
8.
Please Stay 04:17
Dec. 7, 2004 Cleaned my face and hands but still feel dirty Tried to write it down, it got too wordy Cause you are not with me I made you run away Baby can’t you see your presence makes my day makes my day Tried to shake it off it clung on to me I can’t think of words to say I’m sorry Ten thousand times ten thousand times I’m sorry babe and I would understand if you still walk away away, please stay. Nothing I could do girl to deserve you Even though I promised I still hurt you A hundred flaming arrows couldn’t cause this pain Soon as you pull through, I knock you down again your eyes are clearing up I start throwing sand soon as you’re cleaned up I push you down again and poke you in the eye and claim an accident I push you down in mud until you cannot stand baby I can see just why you wouldn’t Oh Lordy be my witness, I’m a broken man… but please stay.
9.
Jan. 17, 2005 maybe just these chords, all in line are all I got to play feels like every time we try and speak we can only think of what we don’t wanna say some of these lines come in my sleep where the wolves come after me some of the time they come cheap but that don’t mean they come for free seems to me as willows weep and all the swans fly away it’d break your heart straight and clean to see me take off this ring to play these four old chords learned in my sleep just keep pounding through the day marking time so much to keep but less and less to say
10.
Sept. 3, 2005 morning came down all around making a sound like you never heard no word could mean what it meant escaped with my life me and my wife clothes on our backs and weight on our minds the kind that you can’t carry long -- but we must carry on somehow everything is gone I don’t know how to sing this old song I’ve forgotten how it goes… -- sight of the town on the ground mud and the blood flowing down all of the bones exposed stone in my hand piece of the land how can a man start over again with all of the pain that he knows -- we must carry on somehow everything is gone I don’t know how to sing this old song forgotten how it goes…
11.
June 1st, 2005 Well I am sorry for what I done and thank you for holding on when it certainly was all crashing down and I told you not to breathe or make a sound and no one thought we’d last another round but you held on through all the rain though it grew it could not - break what you had tethered to this spot driven deep a stake into your heart saying nothing would be ripping us apart not if you had anything to do with this thing that clung on to your body like a wet sail to a mast torn in tiny pieces but at last sewn back to be better than brand new… this tattered love this stained glass heart pulling through like at the start I can’t believe He pulled us through… you and me… me and you.
12.
Eileen 04:25
Feb 27, 2010 Eileen, Eileen Prettiest girl you ever seen Eileen, Eileen alright She was born a scrapper, looking mighty dapper back in ’77 Makes me kinda wonder what kinda thunder went missing up in Heaven Eileen, Eileen Prettiest gal I ever seen Eileen, Eileen alright She could rob the boys of the playground joys they so dearly sought They’d forever miss her as they try to kiss her cause she won’t be caught Eileen, Eileen The fastest girl in the entire world Eileen, Eileen alright Eileen, Eileen It’s hard for an angel without her wings Eileen, Eileen alright When you and me crossed paths by the railroad tracks you had me on my heels And as the moon rolled by I had a hard time trying beliveing you were real Eileen, Eileen The ghost of some long fallen queen Eileen, Eileen alright Eileen, Eileen To hold your hand made me understand what it means to be alright We coulda thrown in the towel ten rounds ago but we’re still here swinging Our song coulda ended so long ago but we just keep on singing I want to grow old with you til my bones are glue and my hair is gone And tell our babies’ kids all about you and sing them this song Eileen, Eileen The prettiest gal I ever seen Eileen, Eileen alright Eileen, Eileen Prettiest gal, I can’t believe I get you all for me Alright
13.
Chapter 2 05:44
May 4, 2007 Well I cut my teeth in Baltimore fell out the womb and I hit the floor they spanked me and they heard me cry I'm not staying round here no more I rolled on down to Chattanooga Tennessee the in the throws of youth But I could not stay all that long cause I quickly burned a bridge or two Had to roll on back ‘fore my horse gave out Stuck in the middle of nowhere, no other way out So I hit the gas and I screamed a prayer Lord said ‘I hear you son, there's no need to shout’ Well I fell in deep with my old crew and I had a drink I had a few the devil danced around my head singing “we only do what we must do” (solo) Well I headed back south with a backing band a couple of bucks and a faulty plan but my star fell into my hand I held on tight and became a man We hurried off into the pines where she became a friend of mine where she became my blushing bride Good God Almighty she sure is fine Had to learn to lay my life on down And to plant a seed in fertile ground and sure enough as the day is long Things came popping up all around Now I got to keep my babies fed Gotta go to work and make some bread So they grow up and they grow up strong Gotta hug ‘em awake and love ‘em to bed And so now here I stand in front of you Blowing this harp ‘til my lips turn blue Singing like I was born to do While I’m busy working on Chapter Two

about

These songs were mostly written during my tumultuous first year of marriage back in 2004-05. It took a while for it to be the right time to put them out. There's actual blood, sweat and tears on these tracks. I hope they make you cry.

credits

released September 2, 2011

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Performed by:

Scott Andrews - piano (2, 4, 5)
Ray Codrington - trumpet
Jeff Conlin - wurlitzer, organ (1, 2, 11, 13)
Mark Connor - bass guitar
Jim Crew - piano (1, 7, 10, 11), organ (4, 5, 10, 12), accordion
David Karsten Daniels - lead guitar (7)
Will Goodyear - drum kit
Daniel Hart - strings and string arrangements
Cameron Lee - lead guitar (4, 5, 11)
Allyn Love - pedal steel
Durwood Martin - piano (8, 13)
Scotty Miller - lead guitar (1, 13), dobro (1, 8)
Eileen Chevalier - singing (10, 11)
Mike Roy - uke, guitar, singing, harmonica

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Recorded mostly by John Plymale at Overdub Lane, Durham, North Carolina Sept 2 - 6, 2010

Additional recording done by Mike Roy (thanks to Brian Million), Jeff Conlin, Jim Crew, David Karsten Daniels, and Daniel Hart

Mixed by Brian Paulson
Mastered by Ryan Simms

All rights reserved. Copyright 2011

Album cover photograph by Raymond Goodman www.r3photo.com

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Mike Roy Raleigh

Born outside of DC, raised in MD, college in Baltimore, made a record there, moved to TN, wrote a record there, moved back to MD recorded 2nd record, went on tour, met future wife in NC, moved to RI for two weeks, went back to DC to meet up with future wife, moved to NC, married wife, had 3 kids, finished 4th solo album called Mike & Eileen Chapter One. ... more

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