cheap silver and solid country gold
Lyrics from Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold (2019)
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with help from the London Symphony Orchestra, Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold is Mike and the Moonpies' most adventurous record to date — an album that diversifies the band's honky-tonk roots by adding lush strings, cinematic arrangements, and collaborative songwriting to the mix.
CHEAP SILVER
​
I think I’ll buy us all a round
We can toast the cheapest silver
The high and lonesome sound
The nights we don’t remember
All this second hand smoke
Sure takes me back to the old days
When we were in on the joke
And out on the highway
Here’s to another night of paying dues
Tennessee whiskey and rhythm and blues
Here’s to cheap silver and solid country gold
I think I’ll buy us all a round
But these days I need chaser
I wish this band would turn down
It’s all reverb and phaser
Hey would you listen to me
I sound like my old man
But I’m right where I wanna be
It all turned out like I planned
[chorus]
I think I’ll buy us all a round
One last toast to the lost souls
May we never be found
Without silver and gold
​
​
YOU LOOK GOOD IN NEON
I’ve been sitting here drinking
My standards are sinking again
I’ve been watching you watching me all night
I ain’t worried about the shape that you’re in
I know I’ll probably never see you again
And I ain’t ever gonna tell my friends about you
But you look good in neon
You gave me your last cigarette
And when it’s closing time and the lights come on
We should share a shot of Fernet
And if you wanna slow dance
This is your last chance
To prove me right and do me wrong
You look good in neon
Girl you got me rolling
I’ve never heard that one before
I admit that I feel alright tonight
But don’t you worry about the shape that I’m in
You don’t ever have to see me again
And I ain’t ever gonna tell my friends about you
[chorus]
Out here on the floor I don’t ever want this night to end
You make it look so good that I don’t need to pretend
That you look good in neon
You gave me your last cigarette
And when it’s closing time and the lights come on
We should share this shot of Fernet
And if you wanna slow dance
Well this is your last chance
To prove me right and do me wrong
You look good in neon
​
​
DANGER
Since I’ve been on the road now
I’ve seen a lot of danger
Met a lot of strangers
They’re one and the same.
They know me by my first name
Just another blue collar
The shadow of my father
Following me
I’ve never been lazy
I’ve been working my ass off
Waiting for the pay off
And going for broke
But I love this life kid
I was always gonna do it
There ain’t nothing to it
When you’re chasing a dream
Til I finally made my mind up to fight for something more
Pull my head out of the clouds pick my heart up off the floor
Now that I’m a father
I see I was never patient
Just another fabrication
I was carrying on
I wish that I could tell you
How I learned my lessons
And counted my blessings
Like a man should do
Just look out for the ladies
You’re gonna meet a lot of mean ones
And I’m willing to bet son
You’re gonna love a few
Til you finally make your mind up to fight for something more
Pull your head out of the clouds pick your heart up off the floor
I’ve made my stands
Had blood on my hands
I’ve been drunk and I’ve been lied to
I’ve lost love and I’ve cursed the man above
But I’m still here
And so are you
But out here on the highway
Searching for the end all
It’s getting harder to defend all
Of the things I do
So don’t let ‘em catch you
Not a woman or a lawman
Nobody gonna understand
What you’re going through
​
​
YOUNG IN LOVE
​
Young in love
Young in life
Young in these things we used to be
Old in face
Old in time
Old in space
Like an asteroid
Fighting wars
Not worth fighting for
Any day
Anytime
Anyway
Time well spent
Time well gone
It’s nothing new
It’s nothing new
Just a phase
Just a phrase
Repeating
Like a circle
[chorus]
​
MISS FORTUNE
​
I’m always scratching on the 8 ball
My sevens never come
I pick the same six numbers
And I don’t think I’ve ever hit one
I can see you’re betting blind
You’re just my kind
I’m all in to you
Hey Miss Fortune
Just bet it all on blue
Two broken hearts on a hot streak ain’t got nothing left to lose
I’ll be your one armed bandit
With my arm around you
The queen of hearts and a blackjack
Pushing and busting out on twenty two
We make the perfect pair
You’ve got that devil may care
Kind of attitude
[chorus]
And you keep throwing snake eyes
And I never play to win
So they ain’t gonna see us coming
[chorus]
Hey Miss Fortune
Is it too good to be true
Two broken hearts on a hot streak ain’t got nothing left to lose
​
​
IF YOU WANT A FOOL AROUND
​
I saw you only yesterday
Walking hand in hand with him
And in my heart I felt the flame burning once again
It took some time to make this call
But I just had to let you know
I never once stopped loving you
I was a fool to let you go
But if you want a fool around
That’s who you’re taking to
The biggest fool in town
Who never got over you
If he ever breaks your heart
Or leaves you crying in the dark
You know where I’ll be found
If you want a fool around
If I could only ease the pain
That I put in your heart
I’d take the hurt upon myself
Give us a brand new start
But I know you’re in love with him
Cause you show all the signs
But he can’t love you half as much
As this fool on the line
[chorus]
​
​
FAST AS LIGHTNING
​
Fast as lightning
Twice as frighting
Headed home to Houston in the middle of the night
Hear the bus die
Rub my red eyes
Praying I can catch my flight
Fast as lightning
Twice as frighting
Sold out show in Idaho with the Brauns and Bobby Keen
Boise breakdown
Headed southbound
Spent one night in SLC
Can’t sell the record if we can’t make the show
Can’t make no money sitting on the side of the road
Fast as lightning
Twice as frightening
Luckenbach to London picking with the symphony
Lost some changes did some rearranges
Moved into a minor key
Fast as lightning
Twice as frightening
Atlanta back to Austin
Take that exit up ahead
Busted back end ride from an old friend
Spent one night in my own bed
[chorus]
Fast as lightning
Twice as frightening
Red eye into Paris flying out of JFK
Words I’m using you can tell that I’m from Houston
Je ne parle pas Francais
​
​
LONDON HOMESICK BLUES
​
Well when you're down on your luck
And you ain't got a buck in London you're a goner
Even London Bridge has fallen down
And moved to Arizona now I know why
And I'll substantiate the rumor
That the English sense of humor
Is drier than the Texas sand
You can put up your dukes or you can bet your boots
But I'm leaving just as fast as I can
I want to go home with the armadillo
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene
The friendliest people and the prettiest women you've ever seen
Well it's cold over here and I swear
I wish they'd turn the heat on
And where in the world is that English girl
I promised I would meet on the third floor
And of the whole damn lot the only friend I’ve got
Is the smoke and a cheap guitar
My mind keeps roaming and my heart keeps longing
To be home in a Texas bar
[chorus]
Well I decided that I'd take my cowboy hat
And go down to Marble Arch Station
Cause when a Texan fancies he'll take his chances
Chances will be taken that's for sure
And them Limey eyes they were eying the prize
Some people call manly footwear
And they say you're from down south
And when you open your mouth
You always seem to put your foot there
[chorus]