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Aluminum Oasis

by Michael McNevin

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1.
"Aluminum Oasis" by Michael McNevin I got a dogpatch of sand, and a place for my rig Got a 30 foot trailer, and a porcelain head I got a Joshua Tree and a 10x12 shed You take the queen, and I'll take the sofa-bed Come visit some time, come visit some time Aluminum oasis, if you don't mind the drive I got cold beer & cribbage, AC & propane Come visit sometime, and I'll do the same You can fry an egg on 15, it's a money mirage To the motels and tow trucks, and a Barstow garage Too hot for a hammock, I'd rather get outa dodge You need a shade tree mechanic? you got room in your yard? Come visit some time, come visit some time, I'll tune up your Chrysler, won't cost you a dime, If it rains cats and dogs, honey, I won't complain, Come visit sometime, and I'll do the same Do your big avocado trees, grow low hangin' fruit? Do they shade the hot side of the house, lucky you, Could an old Spartan trailer sit under 'em too? Would it bother the neighbors, are there jobs I could do? Does your faucet pour water from the Hetch Hetchy Dam? Could the grass there be greener, picture this if you can, With your rose colored glasses, oh dear Pollyanne Could ya see yourself loving Yosemite Sam? Now the buzzards in Barstow circle high every day This ain't no birdbath, it's a game of decay A 120 degrees in the shade Nobody would miss me if I headed your way Or come visit sometime, come visit some time J. Paul Getty built beauties and this one's all mine I got cold beer & cribbage, AC & propane, Come visit some time, and I'll do the same Words and Music by Michael McNevin © 2016 Michael McNevin All Rights Reserved
2.
"Cradle To Grave" (by Michael McNevin) What'll it be for ya, Jameson's, Bushmills, or gin? It’s good to sit down at your table again These dog days ain't over, man it’s hotter than sin We're thicker than water, but our blood's running thin ReFrain: It's a long way to wander from cradle to grave All the years in between to raise hell or behave All the years in-between to raise hell or behave I don't know ya well, but I don't hate ya none Ain't it funny how things come around when we're done If there's a score to be settled, it ain't at a bar The friends that I have are too few and too far ... (ReFrain) Sometimes I'm lost, sometimes I'm last Sometimes I drive just to burn up the gas Dallas to Waco to Kerrville and back And if I could make Ireland I'd surely do that ... (ReFrain) As God is my witness, I ain't the worst Counting my blessings, kissing the dirt What'll it be for ya, Jameson's, Bushmills, or gin? It’s good to sit down at your table again It’s good to sit down at your table again Words and Music by Michael McNevin. © 2016 Michael McNevin. All Rights Reserved.
3.
Circus Bear 04:30
“Circus Bear” by Michael McNevin They call me Grusha, I was a Russian circus bear. I'm on my way back to Siberia, yes I am, I'm gonna pedal there. They taught me how to dance and ride, three shows every night. They turned their backs and off I rode, on my trusty circus bike. I sat up straight, went round and round, traded treats for their commands. Held on tight to the handlebars, used my feet like they were hands. I raced the pigs and the chimpanzees, but I know I'm not a man. And now for 30 miles I've pedaled straight, and they don't know where I am. Refrain: They call me Grusha, I was a Russian circus bear. I'm on my way back to Siberia, Yes I am, I'm gonna pedal there. Is it wrong to run away? is this how a bear behaves? Ride through lanes of quiet neighborhoods, in a silly gown and a silly hood. They make the clothes, and dress me up, I can't help how I look. Now if they don't recognize me, good, I'm gonna pedal right into the woods. (Refrain) (Bridge) Life beneath the big top canvas, is all I've ever known. Trailers, cages, town to town, sometimes we passed my forest home. And I'm not sure what I'll do now, it's a game of hide and seek. Maybe they'll just quit and go home too, and I'll spend the winter off my feet. Now I'm on a country path, full of apple trees & farms. Two horses see me, kick their heels. How I could use a barn. But I can't stop to rest or drink, I gotta pedal till I'm gone. I do not know how close I am, but I smell the trees, it won't be long. (Refrain) The sky up here is so much bluer, than I remember as a cub. I sit down by a berry bush, not a hint of circus grub. Forest air runs through my fur like grass, my brown face against the sun. No finish line, just the forest pines, the only bicycle race I ever won. Words and Music by Michael McNevin. Guitar & Vocal by Michael McNevin. © 2017 Michael McNevin. All Rights Reserved. Mudpuddle Music (ASCAP). P.O. Box 2235 Fremont CA 94536 www.michaelmcnevin.com
4.
5.
Buck 39 03:22
6.
Still Red 04:05
7.
Crack In The Cliff (at Pomponio State Beach, California, south of Half Moon Bay, 1976) There's a cliff on the ocean, and there's a crack in the cliff       Don't know how we knew about it, one day we just did     Three kids in a pontiac, on a mission to get        to the cliff on the ocean, to the crack in the cliff •   We got to the sand with the sun goin down       We hiked up a trail, we didn't look down     It was steep and it ended at a hole in the ground     Crack in the cliff, sun goin down •  Now the hole in the ground was narrow and deep     Canary goes first, my head then my feet     It was dark it was dirty, it was a helluva squeeze     into the crack in the cliff, narrow and deep              (Refrain) It's only a hole, we come all this way We can't quit now, are we chicken or brave Keep on going I say, keep on going I say    •   Flat on our bellies, barely a crawl      An inch at time, like 3 snakes in a hole     No echoes or light, no end to it all     To the crack in the cliff, barely a crawl •   We could feel ourselves breathin the dust in the air    The sand from the ceiling rubbin off in our hair     But we all had the feeling we were getting somewhere     Through the crack in the cliff, dust in the air   •   Now the ceiling got higher, by the smallest degrees     50 feet later, we could crawl on our knees     'Til the hole was a cave, and we were running full speed     Through the crack in the cliff, smallest degrees        (Refrain) It's only a hole, we come all this way   Can't quit now, are we chicken or brave Keep on going I say, keep on going I say  •  Would there ever be light at the end of the tunnel   The air got cold, we heard a distant rumble    It took a hard right, and there we were humbled    By the crack in the cliff, at the end of the tunnel    •   It was a big open hole, not a one of us talked      Crept to the edge, a sheer 100 foot drop      A birds eye view of the sea and the salt      From the crack in the cliff, not a one of us talked •   We could hardly believe, we'd be sleepin up here      We rolled out our bags, our bread and our beer      We had a midnight picnic and we toasted our fears      From the crack in the cliff,  crack in the cliff, crack in the cliff
8.
9.
Cowboy Yoga 04:30
10.
11.
Young Santos 04:47

about

Collection of recent songs, with a couple older ones. Guitar & vocal, about how I sound at live solo concerts, straight ahead. Plus a few extra guitar parts here and there. For fun I was calling it The White Albume at gigs, a demo I burned on my computer, one at a time on my Mac. For the sharpie demo CDs, I spelled it wrong on purpose, so as not confuse me with the Beatles. Ha ha :). Probably deserves a better name, since it's now out on the web for downloading. So, it's the Aluminum Oasis Collection, with Aluminum Oasis as the first track. Americana, Folk, storytelling lyrics. Most tracks recorded by Tom Prasada-Rao in a Niles CA living room. A few other tracks (#3, #9, #11) recorded at Phil Bennett's home studio in Pleasanton, CA.

credits

released February 2, 2023

11 Songs, written and performed by Michael McNevin:

1 Aluminum Oasis
2 Cradle To Grave
3 Circus Bear
4 Get Me Outa Here
5 Buck 39
6 Still Red
7 Crack In The Cliff
8 Strasburg CO, pop 1000
9 Cowboy Yoga
10 You Look Familiar
11 Young Santos

© 2020 Michael McNevin. All Rights Reserved.
Mudpuddle Music (ASCAP).
Words and Music by Michael McNevin.
Performed by Michael McNevin, guitar and vocals.
P.O. Box 2235 Fremont CA 94536
www.michaelmcnevin.com
info@michaelmcnevin.com

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Michael McNevin San Francisco, California

Michael McNevin's songs read like short stories, a keen eye for detail for the characters and places in his travels. Shared stages with Johnny Cash & The Carter Family, Donovan, Shawn Colvin, Christine Lavin, Richie Havens. Main-stages at Strawberry, High Sierra, Kerrville, Philly Folk Fest. Kerrville New-Folk winner, “DYI Artist Of The Year” for Performing Songwriter, “Song Of The Year” for WCS. ... more

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