Psychedelic Surf Country - Lyrics

  1. “Just a Man”

(Written by Joel Timmons and Shelby Means)

It was January on the island
In a Carolina blue Ford truck
Whenever we'd see a Christmas tree
We'd pull on over and pick it up
And bring it back home
And put it in a pile

Well some might say that he's a pyro
He's a hippie, he's a communist too
Well I swear my dad is a good Christian man
He just did what he had to do
What he had to do

He's just a man in the garden
A flaming torch in his hand
He's just a man
He's just a man

Now Jesus walked on the water
And Moses parted the Red Sea
Well I once saw my dear dad, Clyde
Ignite one hundred christmas trees

Now smoke was rising higher
Flaming embers raining down
There was Clyde on the roof
With a garden hose and I can
Hear that siren sound
Siren sound

He's just a man, now I see him
Took me so many years to understand
He's just a man
He's just a man

Just a man, now I see him
Took me so many years to understand
Just a man
Just a man

He's just a man, now I see him
A flaming torch in his hand
He's just a man
Just a man

It was January on the island
In a Carolina blue Ford truck
Whenever we'd see a Christmas tree we'd
Pull on over and pick it up
And bring it back home

2. “Turbo”

(Written by Joel Timmons)

Speed trap town in the middle of Tennessee
Red was in the driver’s seat blazing down I-40 East
The band was in the back, trying to get some sleep

Blue lights flashing, pull it over to the side of the road
Officer Loftis saying, "Boys, y'all better do what you're told.
This is a rock ‘n’ roll band, I can guarantee that y’all got some dope."

We were 25 days into a 27 day tour
We left Denver, Colorado some 17 hours before
But before we got to Kansas we stopped beside the marijuana store

We were all holding, from the drummer to the saxophone man
We had to think fast, we had to come up with a plan
Next thing we hear, "Everybody out of the van"

They made us line up our bags
They brought out Turbo the lab
He's just a dog with a badge
He's trained to sniff out your stash
His name is Turbo, Turbo, Turbo the black lab

Now Turbo he seemed like an ordinary doggie to me
No special training, no distinctive pedigree
But a cop is gonna see exactly what he wants to see

Officer Loftis claimed he signaled the trombone player's backpack
I think he probably really smelled his teriyaki beef jerky snack
I guess we'll never know!
That's when we started to crack

They made us line our bags
They brought out Turbo the lab
He's just a dog with a badge
He's trained to sniff out your stash
His name is Turbo, Turbo, Turbo the black lab

Remember in Tennessee
If you're a long hair like me
You better not speed
Around the Cookeville PD
Cause they got Turbo, Turbo, Turbo sniffing your weed

3. “The bullfighter”

(Written by Luke Bell)

I get loud when I get mad
And I get tough when I get sad
I'll tangle with the horns like a Spaniard in the pit
I'm here to play for blood, boys, and I'll be here til the end
For I am the greatest bullfighter that ever dared the pen
Yes, I am the greatest bullfighter that ever dared the pen

I've tied one on tonight
And I'm mean enough to fight
I'm looking for the world to disagree
So sound the trumpet, folks, and grab your lances, friends
For I am the greatest bullfighter that ever dared the pen
Yes, I am the greatest bullfighter that ever dared the pen

You can try to crucify me
I don't care if you don't like me
I tell you I'll be waiting in my golden cape
And when spit meets the dirt, boys, I'll greet you with a grin
For I am the greatest bullfighter that ever dared the pen
Yes, I am the greatest bullfighter that ever dared the pen

Some folks are getting tired
They get old and lose their fire
They find the grace of light to lean upon
But, "Duel the bull," says I, just as long as I live
For I am the greatest bullfighter that ever dared the pen
Yes, I am the greatest bullfighter that ever dared the pen

4. “Guitars, Guns, anD
Pickup Trucks”

(Written by Joel Timmons and Shelby Means)

If you wanna date my daughter
I got a little list
It's a bit of a questionnaire
Won't you tell me this?
Do you have health insurance?
A college degree?
What kind of job do you work?
Do you eat red meat?

Mister guitars, guns, and pickup trucks
The all American way
If we can just agree about 2 out of 3
We might make it to Laramie

He's got a chest like a barrel
Standing 6 feet tall
He's got a deer and an antelope head
Hanging on the living room wall
He likes to drink Budweiser
And turn on a wrench
But when he pulled out his old Gibson
I knew that we'd be friends

Mister guitars, guns, and pickup trucks
The all American way
If we can just agree about 2 out of 3
We might make it to Laramie

Too much whiskey, too much wine
Too much work will make you lose your mind
But you can't have too much
Guitars, guns, and pickup trucks
And you can't have too much love

Come November
When the cold winds blow
He climbs up into the mountains
To hunt elk in the snow
Thinkin that I might join him
Though I do not own a gun
We could shoot the bull, kill some time
Get a truck stuck for fun

Me and mister guitars, guns, and pickup trucks
The all American way
If we can just agree about 2 out of 3
We might make it to Laramie

You might make it to Laramie
You might make it in this family
You might make it in the USA

5. “End of the empire”

(Written by Joel Timmons and Shelby Means)

Disappear into the whitewater, double overhead
You don't have to listen to the music that you're being fed
Climbing out onto the rocks to meet the rising tide
But the waves are crashing down and now there ain't nowhere to hide

This is the end of the empire
Embers of campfire
Again
This is the end

Belly pressed into the ground, I'm deep down in the weeds
Hiding out for now, but pretty soon I'll have to flee
Got a find a way to get up high so maybe I can see
Disappear into the atmosphere and finally be free

This is the end of the empire
The embers of campfire
Again
This is the end

This is the end of the empire
The embers of campfire
Again
This is the end

Disappear into the whitewater, double overhead
You don't have to listen to the music that you're being fed

6. “cottage by the sea”

(Written by Joel Timmons)

I've been all around this world
But no place could I find
That suited me as well
As the coast of Caroline
And if I only had my way
You know that I would be
On my little island home
In a cottage by the sea

But my mother, bless her heart
Well she couldn't stand the change
She liked her town small
She liked her neighbors strange
And the money from up North
Came like a hurricane
Of all my childhood friends
But a seldom few remain

On that little island home
In a cottage by the sea
Where my younger years were spent
Living in a salty dream
Swimming underneath the stars
In the distant harbor lights
With the lovers of my youth
On those island summer nights

I've been all around this world
But no place could I find
That suited me as well
As the coast of Caroline
If I only had my way
You know that I would be
On that little island home
In a cottage by the sea

On that little island home
In a cottage by the sea

7. “say it to my face”

(Written by Joel Timmons)

I didn't sleep last night
I couldn't turn off my mind
It was catching a train
And wondering what you said

Why don't you say it to my face

We couldn't find the time
To sit down and truly speak our minds
So we buried it deep inside
But it's something we cannot hide

Come and say it to my face
Say it to my face
Why don't you say it to my face
Say it to my face

Remember back in the day
Ridin' round in the OG, smokin' fat J's
We used to be so carefree
I wonder what happened between you and me

Now we don't hardly talk
Remember when I had to relearn to walk
We used to sing about the blood
You think I'm fucking stealing from you, brah

Why don't you say it to my face
Say it to my face
Come and say it to my face
Say it to my face

I see the anger in your eyes
This friendship is a thin disguise
Why can't we get back to that place
A house in the country with a jam space

Why don't you say it to my face
Say it to my face
Come and say it to my face
Say it to my face

8. “the swimming song”

(Written by Loudon Wainwright III)

This summer I went swimming
This summer I might have drowned
But I held my breath and I kicked my feet
And I moved my arms around
I moved my arms around

This summer I swam in the ocean
And I swam in a swimming pool
Salt my wounds, chlorine my eyes
I'm a self-destructive fool
I'm a self-destructive fool

This summer I did the backstroke
And you know that that's not all
I did the breast stroke and the butterfly
And the old Australian crawl
The old Australian crawl

This summer I swam in a public place
And a reservoir, to boot
At the latter I was informal
At the former I wore my suit
I wore my swimming suit, yeah

This summer I did swan dives
And jackknifes for you all
And once when you weren't looking
I did a cannonball
I did a cannonball

This summer I went swimming
This summer I might have drowned
But I held my breath and I kicked my feet
And I moved my arms around
I moved my arms around

9. “East nashville cowboy”

(Written by Joel Timmons and Shelby Means)

I pull on my boots and my silver belt buckle
My Stetson hat, my pearl snaps that sparkle
I tie my neck scarf, grab my guitar
Call up an Uber and head to the bar

I'm an East Nashville cowboy
I don't rope or ride
I'll make the best cappuccino that you'll ever try
I can sing you a sad song
I can play a G run
I'm an East Nashville cowboy gettin it done

I tried TikTok and Tinder
Couldn't find her on those
So I'm putting up posters
But not for my shows

Maybe you've seen them
On telephone poles
Seeking an East Nashville cowgirl
Who rolls her own smokes

I'm an East Nashville cowboy
I don't rope or ride
I'll eat the spiciest chicken that's ever been fried
I'll sing you a sad song
I can play a G run
I'm an East Nashville cowboy gettin it done

I've got a tattoo of Merle Haggard
And a cat named George Jones
If not for George Merle and Willie
I'd be all alone, all alone

So I took out an advert in an East Nashville zine
Missed Connections that section it reads
I saw you at Dino's you were with that cool band
Y'all were eating hot chicken you said it was bland

I'm an East Nashville cowboy
I don't rope or ride
I'll make the best cappuccino that you'll ever try
I can sing you a sad song
I can play a G run
I'm an East Nashville cowboy gettin it done

10. “Here we are”

(Written by Joel Timmons)

So here we are in this place
Upon this Earth, bound by space
We can reach up to the heavens
We can reach up the sky
We can wonder, ponder why?
Sometimes I wonder why we even try

Hands and feet, dirt and sweat
A mountain creek, oh don't forget
The potting wheel is spinning
The time is passing by
I am learning, but I will die
But the time I have right now is just fine

All I really wanna do is be right here with you
All I really wanna do is be with you
All I really wanna do is be right here with you
All I really wanna do is be with you

It's a hit or miss there's always days like this
A little sunshine bliss oh touch and kiss
Don't ask me why I'm dancing
‘Cause I don't even know
It just seems to flow that's how it goes
It's a high and low

All I really wanna do is be right here with you
All I really wanna do is be with you
All I really wanna do is be right here with you
All I really wanna do is be with you

So here's the ball, it's in our hands
Let's let the spirit move let's make some plans
The power is inside us to help us make our groove
We can make it rocky or we can make it smooth

All I know is we're the ones to choose
All I know is we can never lose
All I know is we're the ones to choose

11. “Tryin’”

(Written by Joel Timmons)

I'm trying to open up my mind
I'm trying to open up my mind
Trying to open up my mind

I'm trying to open up my heart
I'm trying to open up my heart
Trying to open up my heart

I'm trying to quit these cigarettes
I'm trying to focus on my breath
Trying to quit these cigarettes

I'm trying to get off of my phone
I'm trying to spend some time alone
I'm trying to get off of my phone

I'm trying to thicken up my skin
I'm not gonna let you in
I'm trying to thicken up my skin

I'm trying to practice what I preach
I'm trying to learn more when I teach
I'm trying to practice what I preach

I'm trying to open my third eye
I'm trying to open my third eye
Trying to open my third eye

I'm trying to open up your lips
I'm trying to open up your lips
I'm trying to open up your lips

I'm trying to open up your thighs
I'm trying to open up your thighs
I'm trying to open up your thighs

I'm trying to go where I ain't been
I want you to let me in
I'm trying to go where I ain't been

I'm trying to open up my heart
I'm trying to open up my heart
Trying to open up my heart

I'm trying to open up my heart
I'm trying to open up my heart
Trying to open up my heart