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Cold City

by The Shams Band

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1.
Cold City 03:49
In the golden drunken glory of an afternoon I sat beneath the juke box full of dirty blues And for a moment I saw heaven shining on the bottles of booze She climbed right over me And danced right into you Well the sweet stink of the summer is on your clothes I would breathe it from your body and make your secrets show And in the filthy heat we sit and dream about the places we will go And you dream of California And I dream of Chicago Yeah, heaven would be just like this Where the cold rain spits in your face Yeah, and then the sun finally comes And it makes your spirit shake Yeah, we’re gonna fight like hell For a little piece of what we need Cause if I gotta be a soldier then the cold city is my queen Well I blacked out on the subway and they cut my jeans They got a couple dollars, that was everything But even when they kill me there will still be Nowhere else on earth for me Yeah, high above the icy streets I’ll fix your drinks and keep you company Yeah, heaven would be just like this Where the cold rain spits in your face Yeah, and then the sun finally comes And it makes your spirit shake Yeah, we’re gonna fight like hell For a little piece of what we need Cause if I gotta be a soldier then the cold city is my queen Yeah, we’re gonna fight like hell for what we need Cause if I gotta be a soldier then the cold city is my queen
2.
In the morn' your soft skin shook I held you close like an open book Your eyes they said, they gave the look They said I will love you the most I will love you the most Undo the sheets and grab your shoes Jackets on, no time to lose The car is packed it’s time we cruise Heading eastward towards the coast Heading eastward towards the coast The sky is dark but the tank is full The scene is black, but never dull And towards the mines that they use for coal The mountains become our host Yes the mountains become our host The evening fog, it hides the road The hotel sign, oh it barely shows We pull right in, your face now glows Our trip deserves a toast Yes our trip deserves a toast The mountain air, it fills our lungs The hotel suite makes us feel young I grab you close and our song is sung I will love you the most Yes an’ I will love you the most Yes an’ I will love you the most Yes an’ I will love you the most
3.
Breadwinner 01:55
My baby She’s a breadwinner She takes care of everything When I spend all Of my allowance She let me hold on to a little bit of change She’s a..... Breadwinner, bread a breadwinner She buys me all of my toys She’s a..... Breadwinner, bread a breadwinner An’ I ain’t nothing but a spoiled little boy An’ I’m laying In her apartment Everything she has is so fancy and fine When she gets home From a long day She loves me even when I drink up all of her wine Cause she’s a.... Breadwinner, bread a breadwinner She buys me all of my toys She’s a..... Breadwinner, bread a breadwinner And I ain’t nothing but a spoiled little boy What is mine is always hers What is mine is always hers You know hers is always mine What is hers is always mine What is mine is always hers What is mine is always hers And you know, you know that pretty little thing Is mine, is mine, is mine.......because My baby She’s a breadwinner She takes care of everything
4.
Your kind of beauty must be wrong Burning like a fire in your face I wish I’d never ever seen you Walk into this dirty drunken place I did not want no conversation I did not ask to know your name My head was sinking into my whiskey And that’s where I had been planning to stay Cause there never was a reason to be evil Darling you just do it cause you can And this whole sad city full of fools Just waiting to be your man The sweet air rushing past our faces Made it hard to hear the dying of your love But I felt it in all of the right places And I always have been ready to give up Cause there never was a reason to be evil Darling you just do it cause you can And this whole sad city full of fools Just waiting to be your man Keeper of the twilight Secrets of a bright bad day Won’t you take all of my sweet sad dreams away Keeper of the twilight Secrets of a bright bad day Won’t you take my dreams away Cause there never was a reason to be evil Darling you just do it cause you can And this whole sad city full of fools Just waiting to be your...
5.
When you walk in it starts to show I hide my face whenever it begins to glow Because the shame would be too great And so I wait and wait and wait and wait But no, my darling you will never know And when you are out with my best friend I won’t let no one see the shape it puts me in Because the shame would be too great And so I wait and wait and wait and wait But no, my darling you will never know Anyone can see I’m falling into misery There’s no one left that I can see Is waiting on, Is still waiting on, On me Because the shame would be too great So I wait and wait and wait and wait But no, my darling you will never know You will never know You will never know You will never know
6.
Oh how I wish to travel by sea An’ see the dolphins swim past me The waves, the sky, the water so blue The emptiness sets so pure and true Oh how I wish to travel by sea There’s no need for you, just lonely me My map-shaped hat sits upon my head It guides me along my water bed Oh how I wish to travel by sea I hope to encounter a pirate or three Become their friend and join in crime And navigate from the stars aligned Oh how I wish to travel by sea Below the surface I can barely see A dark new world of coral and trout If I dare sink under I will never get out Oh how I wish to travel by sea I’ll leave my country so patiently I’ll crash upon the side of sand I’ll stick in my flag and claim my land
7.
I will support you when I’m sober Yes an’ I will be gone whenever I’m drunk So until the time comes and I fall over I’ll be sippin’ on my whiskey from the trunk An’ I lost the keys to your apartment Yes an’ I forgot my phone at the bar But still I am here and I’m wondering If you’ll drive me back to Logan in your car Well she drove me home, she cried She said it was over I leaned in for a kiss and I caught her ear She said, I’m sorry my dear It’s time to get sober And when you do, don’t you worry I’ll be here An’ I will support you when I’m older Yes an’ I will be out while I’m young So until the time comes and I get sober I’ll be sippin’, writing, and singing in the sun Well she drove me home, she cried She said it was over I leaned in for a kiss and I caught her ear She said I’m sorry my dear It’s time to get sober And when you do, don’t you worry I’ll be here An’ I will support you when I’m sober Yes an’ I will be gone whenever I’m drunk So until the time comes and I fall over I’ll be sippin’ on my whiskey from the trunk I’ll be sippin’ on my whiskey from the trunk
8.
Virgin Mary 02:13
A virgin at twenty two Came into my room We talked the whole night through We talked of her life She’d one day be a wife She’d cook and clean for you She was quick to be mean She fought everywhere She denied me She cried in her chair So tell me, would you marry A virgin mary at twenty two? She grew up sheltered in a home Where christians only roamed She listened to what the father said to do She’d have to find a man And making sure he’d understand That abstinence is the only truth She was quick to be mean She fought everywhere She denied me She cried in her chair So tell me, would you marry A virgin Mary at twenty two? She was quick to be mean She fought everywhere She denied me She cried in her chair So tell me, would you marry A virgin mary at twenty two?
9.
Save me I’ve been so lonely You were the only one in my mind An’ lately I’ve just been drinking Smoking and thinking a million reason why Cause out across my street I don’t see no one No faith to go on, and the devil’s in my dreams But flying through the night I can still feel you It did not feel true when you said goodbye An’ take me to The Des Plaines river and drown me The dirty water all around me, a prisoner in the mud I’m sailing to you my highway sweetheart I’m dead under these deep stars And you come to lift me up And I’ve been face down, just like a dead man Drinking that red sand, like sweet country wine And down, down, down, I’ve been sinking I’ve been thinking about losing my mind Cause out across my street I don’t see no one No faith to go on, no sun in my sky So, take me my prairie angel An’ bring me all the way back to my home An’ take me to The Des Plaines river and drown me The dirty water all around me, a prisoner in the mud I’m sailing to you my highway sweetheart I’m dead under these deep stars And you come to lift me up An’ take me to The Des Plaines river and drown me The dirty water all around me, a prisoner in the mud I’m sailing to you my highway sweetheart I’m dead under these deep stars And you come to lift me up
10.
Wednesday morning in the pouring rain I make some coffee to wake my brain My hand is shaking from the night before I turned my keys, I hit my floor And last night was like the rest I got drunk and stoned And I played my best Eating breakfast at my only table I cook what I have I eat what I am able An empty stomach that is coated with booze Is hard to fill cause it tries to refuse And thank you cab, for that ride home Cause if ya hadn’t had I would have walked it alone A daily headache is fixed with a sip A tea with a kick brings me back to a trip A world outside that questions my mind This brand new world has been taking up my time And last night was like the rest I got drunk and stoned And I played my best Will you save me from this path I am going My old addiction was the love that I was showing So if you’ll come home I’ll quit what I’ve done I’ll be the earth and you’ll be my sun And thank you cab for that ride home Cause if you hadn’t had I would have walked it alone
11.
Wake Up 01:38
Wake up Wake up Wake up Wake up Open up your eyes The sun is in the sky Wake up Wake up Wake up Wake up Open up your eyes The sun is in the sky
12.
I'm Not Sorry (free) 03:20
Last night in the rain I crawled for you I asked you for forgiveness Just like I was supposed to do But now in the daylight I don’t feel anything I want to take it all back now So I just called to say That I’m not I’m not sorry for what I’ve done I’m not sorry for what I’ve done And I can’t believe you would let somebody do that to you I try to be a good man I know what’s right and wrong And I also know that those things mean Something different to everyone But now in the daylight I don’t feel anything Well I might be insensitive But you are just insane And I’m not I’m not sorry for what I’ve done I’m not sorry for what I’ve done And I can’t believe you would let somebody do that to you I would die of shame And I’m not I’m not sorry for what I’ve done i’m not sorry, i’m not sorry I’m not sorry for what I’ve done i’m not sorry, i’m not sorry I’m not sorry for what I’ve done i’m not sorry, i’m not sorry And I can’t believe you would let somebody do that to you I would die of shame

credits

released July 9, 2012

THE SHAMS BAND | COLD CITY

Donnie Biggins: Guitar, Vocals
Paul Gulyas: Guitar, Vocals
Doug Hill: Drums
Brian Patterson: Bass Guitar, Vocals
Ben "Dirtus" White: Banjo, Percussion, Vocals

Engineered and Mixed By: Wes Lambert
Mastered By: Carl Saff
All Songs Written By: Donnie Biggins, Paul Gulyas & Dirtus
Music By: The Shams Band
Album Art By: Nathan West

Recorded at Layme Dune, Tom White and Lynn Taylor's beautiful home in the woods of Harbert, Michigan.

A special thank you to: the Biggins, Gulyas, Hill, Patterson and White families, and all of our friends, old and new, who continue to come out to our shows.

Thank you to our neighbors, who never complain about late night practices in Logan Square. Thank you to the venues in Chicago for providing us the opportunity to perform at your clubs. Thank you to our new friends that we continue to meet on the road.

Thank you to the Chicago music scene, the love and support within is truly amazing. Without you in our lives, we would have nothing. We love you.

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The Shams Band Chicago, Illinois

Drawing heavily from their Kinks, Rolling Stones, and Wilco influences, songwriters Donnie Biggins and Paul Gulyas create whiskey-driven blues, complete with four-part harmonies. It's whiskey-driven storytelling. It's a party. It's rock 'n roll with a banjo. ... more

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