Sunday, August 14, 2016

complete lyrics of new record

The halfwit in me:

I kept your word
In place of mind
Divine rights
Of the godless implied
And the halfwit in me couldn't keep time

A tuneless trumpet
Breaks down the stone
Weight of the keep and take
Contracted by loan
And the halfwit in me stayed out all night

Go on ahead
Build another home
For lean mean eaters
Everything but the bone
Call yourself lucky, we never use the phone

Borrow headspace
From tomorrow and on
Everybody has papers
If they're in on the con
And the halfwit in me kept on keeping on

A Sunday sit down
We still end up short
A life to confess
We still pay less
And the halfwit in me will have one more

------

A choir apart:

Heads up for this joker
Hand on the heart
Pledge to a false flag

Shout from the Sundays
Hallelujahs condescending
The joy was showing

Praise in one ear
And out the other
You'd curse your own name
You'd curse your brother

How can a man sing
With the choir apart
My lips were moving
No soul or heart

Gifts of wine for me
A pass of hands for thee
Late on arrival

I wrote your name in a book
Traded in papers
I asked them all

Longing for someone to add my own name
Pens of fountain ink, written in feather
Acrylic on leather, birds claw untethered
My word is divine, I control the weather

Forget the long season
My path transcribed
The long handshake

Whisper from the midday
Perspective hushed
Tasking just for tips

Golden sings that have been sung
Wise ass wisdom, wasted on the young
Spend your mornings thinking about the night
Don't carry fire, you can use my light

-------

Funny thing she said:

Funny thing she said to me
I could see you giving me a child
But your roaming eye
You're going to give them what is mine

How you come with the day
And you leave with the night
Your lips taste like honey
But I know you're drinking wine

And I'm no easy meadow
There is no water to drink
And hey why the long face boy
Have you even thought of me

Funny thing she said to me
Why'd you even come over last night
You're chiming in the wrong shade of blue
Saturday night meant nothing, but I know that Sunday was true

How you come with the day
And you leave with the night
Your lips taste like honey
But I know you're drinking wine

And I'm no easy meadow
There is no water to drink
And hey why the long face boy
Have you even thought of me

-------

Sullen mind:

I'm cast in a corner bar and you'd tell me
Naked ladies in the sunlight, they adore me
And I can only turn to walk away, because I only have a Christian education

And with a sullen mind, I carry you
And with a sullen mind, I'm fair
And with a sullen mind, I laid down
And with a sullen mind, I'm out of here

I'm cast in a corner bar and you'd tell me
I can take any motherfucker home who loves me
And I can only turn to walk away, because I only have a Christian education

And with a sullen mind, I carry you
And with a sullen mind, I'm there
And with a sullen mind, I laid down
And with a sullen mind, I'm out of here

I’m cast in a corner bar and you’d tell me
That I can go out any night with no money
And I can only turn to walk away, because I only have a Christian education

And with a sullen mind, I carry you
And with a sullen mind, I'm fair
And with a sullen mind, I laid down
And with a sullen mind, I'm out of here

Seventeen past three, and I’m waiting on a friend
he owes me cigarrettes, and I owe him gasoline
Half past four, and the speed is kicking in
Honey, come on over and I’ll show you where I begin

And with a sullen mind, I carry you
And with a sullen mind, I'm there
And with a sullen mind, I laid down
And with a sullen mind, I'm out of here

———

I Will Ask You Twice

I'm playing footsie with Jesus
man what a weak touch
I don't read the Bible, baby
I think it says don't ask much

With good posture for peace
a celebration would be nice
would you marry me baby?
I will ask you twice

Leather boots for justice
ones that fit just right
what size are you when wet?
Do you wear those things out at night?

With good posture for peace
a celebration would be nice
will you marry me baby?
I will ask you twice
I will ask you twice


———

The Roundabout

There's no instance 
in conscience or convenience
even though you stand on heavy shoulders

I take the roundabout 
cause I like to see St. Jude
again and again

Hands folded in prayer
God, do you write prescriptions?
God damn my signature is fake

I take the roundabout 
because I like to see my house
number four, number five, number six, number seven
and number eight

And I'd buy you a drink
but my credit is quite shit
so we can all laugh and have tap water

my friend laughs cause he thinks he’s having a daughter
you can find me at the roundabout

and you try the passenger door
oh shit man, it doesn’t even work
and you’d cry like you’ve never seen water
come to think of it
I think my dad wanted a daughter

you can find me at the roundabout
where every lotto ticket wins you ten dollars
inside the city limits, that doesn’t even buy cigarettes 
so you hit the back road, and you grab a carton

lean into my shoulder, wearing an old man’s coat
with a couple war badges and a two cent stamp
will you love me at the roundabout?
you can find me at the roundabout

------

The Great And Undecided

My friend was a midnight writer
and I was a temporary hire
with no mandolin to hold to my chest
I guess it worked out for the best

And I heard ever since you crossed state lines
you found your dream job

My friend Joy wrote a song for me
she was singing it my room
she said you can play it anytime you’d like
if you tell the neighbors it’s my tune

And I heard ever since you crossed state lines
your old man was sending you money

And I heard ever since you crossed state lines
everybody was getting postcards

And you moved away to keep a distance
that’s kind of nice cause I like it here
I was the great and undecided
holding a candle where the light is

-------

Age Old Tale

“Set me up”, says the man with a tall order
and age old tale, undersigned
post script- "I ran out of space"
and “I can still smile with the taste of zig-zag”

Whats a mile a minute to somebody walking backwards in daylight savings time?
Not very fast I guess
Go on, take my advice brother
Skip out on the bill, and piss on the rest

Sitting in my beater
Dead of winter, busted heater
and it always feels like quitting time
I wanna pull you from my mind
Hold you in my hands, and let you unwind

In a harvest of sepia, you came as ox blood
Wednesday was a ruby, and Thursday was a flood
and I’m beloved by the loved, who love to love
and I can still cut loose on a weekday night










Friday, June 10, 2016

06/06/2016 - Jay Prtizker Pavillion at Millenium Park (audience recording by Joel Berk)

1. The Halfwit in Me
2. The Great And Undecided
3. Untitled
4. Age Old Tale
5. Roundabout
6. Sullen Mind

Ryley Walker - Acoustic Guitr/Vocals
LeRoy Bach - Clarinet/Piano/Keys
Quin Kirchner - Drums
Anton Hatwich - Bass
Brian Sulpizio - Electric Guitar

great audience recording from Joel Berk. Wow! Thanks dude! Fun gig outside downtown chicago. Great band that night and great hangs. Supported Blonde Redhead.

streaming here at my soundcloud

https://soundcloud.com/walker-ryley

or download here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/huvqso6d7nonkwp/2016.06.06+%28Jay+Pritzker+Pavilion%2C+Chicago%2C+IL%29.zip

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

The Halfwit In Me

I kept your word
In place of mine
Divine rights
Of the godless implied
And the halfwit in me couldn't keep time

A tuneless trumpet
Breaks down the stone
Weight of the keep and take
Contracted by loan
And the halfwit in me stayed out all night

Go on ahead
Build another home
For lean mean eaters
Everything but the bone
Call yourself lucky, we never use the phone

Borrow headspace
From tomorrow and on
Everybody has papers
If they're in on the con
And the halfwit in me kept on keeping on

A Sunday sit down
We still end up short
A life to confess
We still pay less

And the halfwit in me will have one more

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Live In Milwaukee - Cactus Club (05/07/2016)

Good show. First time with Bill MacKay playing my songs (as opposed to our duo where we play tunes we write together) had a lot fun. great improvising on this one. smooth as hell.

Ryley Walker - Acoustic Guitar/Vocals
Anton Hatwich - Bass
Bill MacKay - Electric Guitar

Thanks to john anderson for the audience recording

1. The Roundabout
2. Sullen Mind
3. The Grand Old Trout >>>> Age Old Tale
4. (Untitled)
5.  The Great And Undecided
6. The Halfwit In Me
7. FairPlay (van morrison)

stream: https://soundcloud.com/walker-ryley/live-in-milwaukee-cactus-club-05072016

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Charles rumback and I in philadelphia!

STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/philataper/ryley-walker-charles-rumback-2016-04-19-first-unitarian-church-philadelphia-pa

all credit to philataper on this one!

Friday, April 8, 2016

Chicago, IL 04/08/2016 - Old Town School Of Folk Music

Good set. Bonus content: horribly out of tune guitar during “sullen mind” 

Anton Hatwich on the double bass. My dear friend and heady jammer.


  1. The Roundabout
  2. Sullen Mind
  3. Great And Undecided
  4. New
  5. Halfwit In Me
STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/walker-ryley/live-at-old-town-school-of-folk-music-chicago-il-04-08-2016-mp3

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Chicago, IL 03/11/2016

Live at Levitation festival in Chicago 03/11/2016. Recorded by house engineer. Honestly, I forget who it was. Damn. Great night. Rangda/Royal Trux also played. Dream come true. Excellent recording for the most part- just a few clipping issues and my acoustic guitar is a little boxy sounding.

  1. Sullen Mind
  2. The Roundabout
  3. Age Old Tale
  4. The Halfwit In Me
  5. Funny Thing She Said

Ryley Walker - Vocals/ Acoustic Guitar
Brian Sulpizio - Electric Guitar
Ben Boye - Keys/Autoharp
Anton Hatwich - Bass

Quin Kirchner - Drums

STREAM: https://soundcloud.com/walker-ryley/live-in-chicago-levitation-festival-03-11-2016-with-full-band