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Joel Mabus Song Lyrics

Click on the album title or on the song title to find the text
for each song. All the original Joel Mabus songs, along with the traditional
which have been recorded on Fossil Records are represented here .  
In a few cases, the written lyric may be a bit different
than the recorded version. 
Instrumental compositions are obviously 
not included on the lyrics page. 

For information on ordering a CD, go to "recordings."

(Note that all songs written by Joel Mabus are COPYRIGHTED 
and registered with the US copyright office. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The full power of United States law stands behind me.
Don't make me use it!)

 

ALBUM SONG TITLES
Time & Truth 
(Fossil 2719)
It's about Truth & it's about Time! 
new original songs

The Moon May Never Shine This Way Again 
 
Walking Liberty  
 Thank A Teacher
 A Special Kind Of Hell 
 The Exaltation Of Blue

 Analog  Joe 

 When All the Famous People Are Forgot

 Yes Truth

 Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

 Last Train Home

Ukulele Crimes
(Fossil 2618)
Ukulele says it all!
Ukulele Crimes
Goats Can Eat Anything
Georgia Grind
I'll See You in C-U-B-A
Down Among the Sheltering Palms
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
How Do You Spell Ukulele
Ukulele Schmukulele
The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
Bugle Call Rag
Different Hymnals.
(Fossil 2517)
Songs of faith & spirit

Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone / Let It Shine

Stand By me

No Not One!

Everybody's Grace

Low Lazarus & Lord Diverus

God Don't Like It -- I Don't Either

One Simple Song

Jesus Knocking At Your Door

We'll Understand It Better Bye & Bye

A Bird In This World
(Fossil 2415)
Blues, all-original new songs. 
Welcome Back To The Blues  
Simply Lost In The Blues  
Hillbilly Singer  
Kentucky Hambone Blues  
Hemingway's Beard  
Hoosier Blues  
Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet  
A Spin Of Desire  
How About The Blues  
Pepper's Ghost 
& other banjo visitations

(Fossil 2313)
All banjo: instrumentals are not listed here, just the songs. 
Panhandle Prairie  
Leather Wing Bat  
Two Little Sisters
When They Ring the Golden Bells    
Fire on the Mountain
A Parlor Guitar Christmas
(Fossil 2212)
ALL INSTRUMENTAL
American Anonymous
(Fossil 2111)

Joel's take on a collection of classic American folk songs. Not necessarily the versions you learned in grade school. 

Betsy From Pike 
Love Somebody 
Sweet Evelina 
The Farmer Is The Man 
Sally Gal 
In The Pines 
Rising Sun Blues 
Drunken Hiccups 
Grieve My Lord No More 
Get Along Little Dogie 
The Fox 
A Closer Walk With Thee 

No Worries Now
(Fossil 2009)
All new original songs
release date 9/15/2009

Am I Right
Come Along Again
Two Cents Plain
Alligator Ate Her Poodle
Little Mister Diddy
You Voted Red
Poison In The Glass
Halfway Home
Charlie Birger
The Lost Shall Be Redeemed (instrumental - no lyric)
Give It Up
Shine
How Can I Keep From Singing [the old hymn re-imagined]
Extra Poison [bonus track]
Omnibus  
(Fossil 1908)
A compilation of two earlier recordings: Firelake & Short Stories, in near-entirety
First Times
Hard To Say
The Fiddle & The Bow
Love Is A Song
Oscar & Minnie
I'm On My Way
Snow On The Water
If Wishes Were Horses
Doc'sology
The Book I Gave Up Reading
5w Blues
Honeysuckle Moon
Warmer Every Day
Talking 20th Century
A Better Voice
Let It Be Me & You
Retold 
(Fossil 1808)
new recordings of songs from previous projects from 1987-1997
Swing That Thing
The Naked Truth
Hopelessly Midwestern
Holding To The Land
Five Kinds of Snow
What 'My Doin' Wrong
Duct Tape Blues
The Preacher & the Flood
Touch A Name On The Wall
Sea of Dreams
Lucky, Lucky You
The Banjo Monologues
(Fossil 1707)
lyrics and spoken word:
monologues are indicated by titles in italics.

Foreword Looking Back   
Cindy / Gerald & Jerald Lee      
Three Nights Drunk   
Cripple Creek / The Desert Island    
The Uncloudy Day / Leonard Lively   
No More Cane on this Brazos   
Roll Down the Line             
Liza Jane / WLS & Prairie Farmer          
Uncle Joe         
Crazy Water Crystals 

Down In the Willow Garden   
John Henry’s Hammer          
Cluck Old Hen / One Gentleman’s Opinion      

Parlor Guitar
(Fossil 1605)
ALL INSTRUMENTAL
Golden Willow Tree
(Fossil 1504)
Papa Caught A Catfish
Sally Goodin In The Alley With Sugar In The Gourd  
Spoon River And You  
Ruben
The Golden Willow Tree 
The Bird's Alphabet
Noe's Dove
Ride Away Easy 
Study War No More
Thumb Thump
(Fossil 1402)
Shake Them Hard Luck Blues
Frankie And Albert
My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
East St. Louis
Brady
What Kind Of Pants Does A Gambler Wear
The Train That Carried My Girl From Town
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Paul And Silas
Six Of One
(Fossil 1301)
School For Love 
Careless Love 
My Ramona
Old Smokey
Storybook Romance
The Cowboy's Barbry Allen
Little Baby Lindberg  
Old Baggum 
Virus On The Town 
Balm In Gilead 
Back Porch Of Glory 
Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
How Like The Holly
(Fossil 1299)
How Like The Holly
The Cherry Tree Carol
The Friendly Beasts
Christmas Bells
Children Go Where I Send Thee
Let's Do Christmas Right
Top Drawer String Band
(Fossil 1199)
ALL INSTRUMENTAL
Rhyme Schemes
(Fossil 1097)
Chairman Of The Bored
Say Cheese
Bubba's 3 B's
The Fiddler's Reply
Mister Lucky
What 'My Doin' Wrong
The Druggist
Clear Blue Sky
Doo Dah Ditty
Western Passage
(Fossil 996)
ALL INSTRUMENTAL
Promised Land
(Fossil 894)
Alice And Ralph
Rivethead
Holding To The Land
Freeport (Factoryoutletville)
Five Kinds Of Snow
Amnesty
Columbus Stockade
Waiting For My Angel To Arrive
Sea Of Dreams
Promised Land
Flatpick & Clawhammer
(Fossil 793)
I'm Getting Ready To Go
The Butcher's Girl
Somewhere, Somebody's Waiting For You  
Groundhog
Pretty Little Pink
Henhouse Door
Darling Cory
Short Stories
(Fossil 592)

most of these cuts were re-issued on the album,
Omnibus (Fossil 1908)

First Times
If Wishes Were Horses
Honeysuckle Moon
The Book I Gave Up Reading 
The Fiddle And The Bow
Warmer Every Day
Doc'sology
The Preacher And The Flood
5 W Blues
Let It Be Me And You
Talking Twentieth Century 
Firelake
(Fossil 390)

most of these cuts were re-issued on the album,
Omnibus (Fossil 1908)

Hopelessly Midwestern
Hard To Say
Snow On The Water
I'm On My Way 
Oscar And Minnie
A Better Voice
Love Is A Song
The Naked Truth
Joel Mabus in Concert
(Fossil 288)
The Only Way Out
The Duct Tape Blues
Touch A Name On The Wall
The Naked Truth
Hitler Was A Vegetarian
Shiny On The Outside
Ain't America Beautiful
Testing 1...2...3...
The Water's Wide
Swing That Thing
Fortunes
(Fossil 187)
Lucky Lucky You
Drifter's Alibi
The Kitty Ditty
It All Comes Back To You
Blues For Jimmie (Jimmie Rodgers On The Radio)
Business With The Devil
The Festival's Over
Love Is A Gamble

 

MP3 Singles

Duct Tape Blues 2001 edition  A special version of this song done in early 2001, to celebrate the launch of the new JOELMABUS.COM (this site). Released only as an MP3

Lyrics and download here

 

The Lights Are On In Michigan  info on the song here

click here to read lyrics 

You Can't Buy My Records at Wal-Mart
You Can't Buy My Records at Wal-Mart
[click here for FREE download and read lyrics]

 

 

© 2017 Joel Mabus
Last revised: July 20, 2023 .