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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

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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]

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